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LIBRARY OF C()N(iKi.8S. t 




,, SERMONS / xj, y^ 



ELIAS HICKS, 

BELIVEllED DURING THE YEARLY MEETING OP FRIENDS, IN THE CITTT 
OF NEW YORK, JUNE, 1826 : 

TOGETHER WITH 

A SERMON BY ELIZABETH ROBSON,, . 

AND A PRAYER, tt ^W A 

BY ANNA BRAITHW^AITE: 



SERMONS 

DEtlTERED IN PHILADELPHIA, AND WILMINGTON, (dEL.) 
BY 

THOMAS WETHERALD, 

ON HIS WAY TO, AND FROM THE YEARLY MEETING. 

TAKEN IN SHORT HAND, BY MARCUS T. C. GOULD, 
Stenographer. 

J9ftilat)fd|jfiia: 

PUBLISHED BY THE REPORTER, 
18^6. 






:^X^; 



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REPORTER'S NOTE. 



That the motives and circumstances attending the 
production of this vohime, may be rightly understood 
and duly appreciated, the reporter considers a brief ex- 
planation both necessary and proper. This necessity is 
the more obvious, to persons acquainted with the unplea- 
sant excitement now existing in the Society of Friends, 
and with the fact, that the present reporter is identi- 
fied with various other productions, emanating from a 
similar source, for which he has received censure which 
he deems unjust and unwarranted. He, therefore, takes 
the liberty to state, that, for any fault of which he may be 
adjudged guilty, in discharge of the duties above alluded 
to, he holds himself personally responsible; and only asks 
to be released from the imputation of partiality, in his 
selections for publication, other than that suggested by 
the probability of pecuniary emolument, in the sale of 
his reports. 

The reporter wishes it understood, that the want 
of patronage alone, prevents the publication of dis- 
courses, which would probably be more satisfactory 
to the disaffected ; but which, from the limited sale of 
some already published, must be delayed, till the merit 
of their authors and the liberality of their admirers, 
shall be found equal to the expense of publication. 
With tbe'exception of one volume by Elias Hicks, the 
reporter has always acted for himself, without the con- 
trol of friends or enemies ; and has endeavoured to 



4 

mscharge, in that and all other cases, the duties of his 
profession with integrity and honour. 

As the principal part of this work is the production 
of one man, it may be satisfactory to some, who have 
not read his former discourses, to learn his views on 
the propriety of such publications ; and, at the same 
time, to gather from his own words, the probability of 
accuracy an4 integrity on the part of the stenographer. 
For this purpose, it is thought proper to introduce the 
subjoined communications, since the publication of 
which, a volume by the same speaker has been published, 
without his inspection or revision. Having, then, al- 
ready presented the public with three editions from the 
same speaker, without any other objection than that 
contained in his very appropriate and modest reply to 
the request of a stranger, the reporter submits most of 
the volume, with perfect confidence in the continued 
liberality of its author. 

To other individuals, who will occupy a portion of 
this work, the reporter would remark : that, having 
learned from good authority, the improbability of their 
revising his manuscript if submitted for that purpose, 
he must therefore commit it to the press, with the same 
fidelity, that has hitherto received the approbation of 
other speakers, under similar circumstances — claiming 
their indulgence for unavoidable inaccuracies, should 
any be discovered in the publication. 

It was the original intention, that this volume should 
contain the sermons of Thomas Wetherald and Elias 
Hicks only, but by special request, it is made to con- 



tain a sermon by Elizabeth Robson, and a prayer bj^ 
Anna Braithwaite, in addition to the former design ; 
which addition it is hoped will be satisfactory, as it ap- 
pears necessary to the right understanding of the dis- 
courses which immediately followed, and to the more 
clear elucidation of certain facts, which are considered 
an important link in the chain of this report. 



Letter from M. T, C. Gould, to Thomas Wether aid, 

WASHiNGTOif City, March 29th, 1825. 
Friend Wetherald — -I send you, herewith, a manu- 
script copy of two discourses lately delivered by you, at 
the Friends' meeting, in this city. Will you have the 
goodness to correct such errors, as you may discover in 
the same? I am aware of the delicate situation in which 
a public speaker may be placed, by the unexpected pub- 
lication of his extemporaneous discourses ; and I con- 
sider it my duty, to make some apology for the liberty 
which I have taken. Your discourses were recorded by 
me, in short hand, for my own edification, and the grati- 
fication of my stenographic pupils in this place ; but 
having been warmly solicited to give them publicity, and 
believing that they may be useful to many who were not 
present, and who may never have an opportunity to hear 
you, personally, I hope you will consent to their publi- 
cation : and, notwithstanding, I conceive that language, 
thus delivered, is the common property of all who hear 
it ; and that it is not for the speaker to determine, 
whether it shall be remembered or forgotten, treasured 
in the head or pocket, or republished by the tongue or 
the press, still, as far as I am concerned, I shall pay great 
deference to the individual whose language I may res- 
cue, in its rapid flight to the ocean of oblivion ; and if, 
through the medium of my humble art, aided by the 
press, its benign influence shall be felt beyond the con- 
fined limits by which it was otherwise circumscribed, I 
hope I shall have done no injury, by the exercise of la- 
bour, on which myself and family are dependent for sup- 



6 

|)ort. That the language and sentiment, of your dis- 
courses, may, like the rains from heaven in their descent 
upon the earih, and iheir passage to the sea, enrich and 
fertilize the regions on which they fall, and through 
which they pass, is the earnest wish of a stranger. 

MARCUS T. C. GOULD. 

Reply, 

Washington, 3d. month 30th, 1825. 

To Marcus T. C. Gould — I received thine, dated 
the 29lh inst. As to the papers thou sent for my ex- 
amination, I would rather they had not been written, 
believing that if the gospel is rightly preached, it must 
be in the demonstration of the spirit and power of the 
gospel, and adapted to the states of those who are pre- 
sent at the time. But as I endeavoured to perform 
what I believed to be my duty, I must leave the conse- 
quences, having no right or properly in what thou hast 
written, and of course, can exercise no authority over it, 
being a matter entirely out of my control. I have, accord- 
ing to thy request, however, looked over the manuscripts, 
and so far as I have discovered, they are substantially 
correct. 

I remain respectfully thy friend, 

THOMAS WETHERALD. 



SEBMON I. 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD, 

DELIVERED AT PINE STREET MEETING, FHILADEX- 
FHIA, MAT 21st, 1826. 

" Whereunto shall I liken the men of this ge- 
neration? and to what are they like? They are 
like children sitting in the market-place and call- 
ing one to another, and saying, We have piped 
unto you and ye have not danced, we have 
mourned unto you and ye have not wept/^ 
Now whilst we are under the influence of 
these feelings of crimination and recrimination, 
it is impossible that we should "•' bear one an- 
other's burthens, and thus fulfil the law of 
Christ/' It is impossible that when any one 
member suffers, the others can suffer therewith; 
and, on the contrary, it is equally impossible that 
when any thing is " piped or harped,^' and one 
member rejoices, all the other members vs^ill be 
able to rejoice with it, and to dance at the sound 
thereof. Whilst we are under the influence of 



these childish feelings we never can drink at the 
same fountain, because we are not governed by 
that unerring spirit which leads into unity and 
not into dissension, but under the influence of 
those exciting feelings which are natural to the 
perverted dispositions of men. Under the influ- 
ence of these they become zealous, but with a 
kind of zeal which the people of Israel were re- 
presented to have possessed. They were repre- 
sented by Paul as zealous, but not according to 
knowledge. Hence, under the influence of these 
feelings, many systems have been formed, and 
the duties thus enjoined may have been perform- 
ed, for there is an abundance of religion in the 
present day. There are a great many high pro- 
fessions, and from whence does all this spring? 
It originates in the ingenuity and invention of 
man, whose works tend to corruption; for *' God 
hath made man upright, but they have sought 
out many inventions.^^ And all the inventions 
of man, notwithstanding the beauty and excel- 
lency of their first appearance, can do nothing 
more than " lead to bewilder, and dazzle to 
blind.'^ 

I can believe in the principles and doctrines 
of almost all the various societies with which I 
am acquainted. I can believe with the Catho- 



lies, that there is no salvation withont the pale 
of the holy, catholic, and apostolic church. With 
the Episcopaliaus, in God, the Father Almighty, 
maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, 
his only son, our Lord, who was conceived of 
the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffer- 
ed under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and 
buried. Bui that he descended into hell I dare 
not believe, because he declared unto the thief 
on the cross, this day wilt thou be with me in 
paradise. I can believe with the Calvinists, that 
the elect only will be saved. With the Baptists, 
that baptism is essential to salvation. I can be- 
lieve with a variety of other societies: with the 
Universalists, that all men may be saved. With 
the Unitarians, that there is " one God and Fa- 
ther of all, who is above all, and through all, and 
in you all." And I can believe with the Qua- 
kers, that '' the grace of God that bringeth sal- 
vation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us 
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we 
should hve soberly, righteously, and godly in this 
present world, looking for that blessed hope, and 
the glorious appearing of the great God and our 
Saviour Jesus Christ." 

And where are we to look for this glorious ap- 
pearance? Are we to look to externaH circum° 

B 



^ 



20 

stances? No. " For God hath said, T will dwell 
in them and walk in them, and I will be their 
God and they shall be my people/^ Now, my 
friends, let us look over the whole of these sys- 
tems, and the effects which they have produced 
on mankind. Their promoters have been very 
active in their operations and exertions, for, with- 
in my recollection, there has been a very great 
increase, and strenuous efforts have been made 
to cause a greater increase; but it is all a spurious 
growth; for, with the increase of religious pro- 
fession, it is evident that wickedness has increas- 
ed in our land, very much in the same ratio. 
Hence, there is something in this kind of reli- 
gion, which, though it does not produce the ef- 
fects proposed, is calculated to please man. Its 
origin is in human invention; it is planned by hu- 
man wisdom. But this can never lead to any 
other results, than to make its followers '' like 
children sitting in the markets and calling unto 
their fellows, and saying, we have piped unto 
you and ye have not danced, we have mourned 
unto you and ye have not wept.^^ 

And with respect to principles, doctrines, and 
matters of opinion, there is no salvation to be ex- 
perienced from them. What is the salvation 
that we want, as men and creatures? even that 



v:» 



11 

salvation which was promised. " Behold, a vir- 
gin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call 
his name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, 
God with us:'^ and, in another place, it is de- 
clared, that he shall be called '^ Jesus," that iSj 
a saviour, "• for he shall save his people from 
their sins;" and this is the salvation that we want. 
We do not want to be saved, or to experience 
salvation from any thing of an external nature, 
or any particular kind of principles, names, doc- 
trines, or opinions; but we want to be saved from 
the perversion of our natural affections, disposi- 
tions, and lusts, which separate us from God, the 
author of our existence, and the power whom 
we profess to worship. But is it not obvious, 
that the religion in our land has not had this ten- 
dency; that it has not brought us nigh unto God; 
and that, therefore, it has wanted apphcation to 
the minds of individuals. And now, my friends 
and fellow professors, for this application. This 
is wanting among us; we want to have the great 
truths of the scriptures brought immediately 
home, and applied to our own minds by the illu- 
minating influence of that divine and living prin- 
ciple which operates in each and every one, 
leading us out of sin and corruption into the glo- 
rious liberty of the sons and daughters of God— 



12 

where all these discords cease and all divisions 
have an end, and where we shall be no longer 
as«children sitting in the market-places. I want 
us all to consider what is the governing principle 
of the gospel: it is love, for love is the fulfilling 
of the law, and if our minds are under this divine 
influence, if they are united to God, our under- 
standings will come to be opened, and we shall 
be enabled to see those things which are hid from 
the wise and the prudent, with all their inven- 
tions and imaginations, and revealed unto babes. 
Now this was a cause of thankfulness, even unto 
Jesus Christ, when he came to do his father^s 
will. He said, " I thank thee, O Father, Lord 
of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these 
things from the wise and the prudent, and hast 
revealed them unto babes. Even so. Father, for 
so it seemed good in thy sight.^^ 

And I apprehend there is no other medium 
whereby we can become members of the church 
of Christ but by baptism. Bui it is not a bap- 
tism with water, nor with any outward element, 
that can purge us from our spiritual lusts. No; 
all the waters of the sea combined can never 
cleanse the soul of one single solitary sin or lust 
We may wash from youth to old age, — we may 
take snow water and wash ourselves never so 



IS 

clean, yet without this baptising influence they 
will only plunge us into the ditch, till our own 
clothes shall abhor us. I want us to look a little 
at that baptism which was prophesied of, and 
which John declared should come. What was 
the baptism which John alluded to? That spo- 
ken of in the prophecy of Isaiah, " The voice of 
one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the 
way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'^ And 
what is the consequence, and what must remain 
the consequence of this preparation? Why, 
*' every valley shall be exalted, and every moun- 
tain and hill shall be mad^ low, and the crooked 
shall be made straight, and the rough places 
plain.^' These are the effects produced by that 
baptism which John declared was of fire. "I^ 
indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance^ 
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I^ 
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, he shall 
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.'' 
Now, what are we to understand by these valleys 
being exalted and the mountains and hills being, 
brought low? It has no allusion or application 
to the undulations of the outward surface of this 
earth, but it comes nearer to ourselves. There 
are many of us whose spirits have been rash, 
fierce, headstrong, proud, and cruel These are 



14 

mountains which have lifted up themselves in 
opposition to the divine will, and, consequently, 
above that divine harmony in which the pipe 
can sound and we can dance; in which we can 
rejoice with those that rejoice, or mourn with 
those that weep. But if we come under the in- 
fluence of the Holy Ghost, it operates as fire 
upon these mountains until they are brought to 
a proper level. And rest assured, this fire will 
never consume any thing but that which is cal- 
culated to destroy our peace and happiness. It 
will only destroy the dross, tin, and reprobate sil- 
ver, so that the pure gold may shine with the 
greater lustre. And what are these valleys that 
are to be exalted? Are there not among the 
members of the human family, those who are 
desponding, those who are despairing, those who 
are weeping, and those who are ready to adopt 
the language, a saviour or I die, a redeemer or 
I perish forever. There are those whose cup 
has been mingled with affliction, and what if I 
should say, with gall and wormwood: unto these, 
consolation is often opened, their minds are com- 
forted, their spirits raised into confidence. Thus, 
by this operation, those that are rash, fierce, head- 
strong, proud, and cruel, are reduced to meek- 
ness, and those who are desponding and despair- 



15 

iDg are raised into firmness; the crooked and 
perverse dispositions are made straight and the 
rough places plain. Here is a state in which 
the glory of the Lord can cover every earthly 
propensity, " as the waters cover the sea," and 
give us complete dominion over the whole. 
Hence, we see an effect produced by this ope- 
ration, which was described by the evangelical 
prophet, when he declared, " The wolf also shall 
dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie 
down with the kid; and the calf, and the young 
lion, and the falling together, and a little child 
shall lead them." Every opposite and perverse 
disposition shall be brought to the same state of 
innocency, and under the influence of the same 
divine purity, and be governed by the same il- 
limitable principle of love. " And the cow and 
the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie 
down together, and the lion shall eat straw like 
the ox, and the sucking child shall play on the 
hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put 
his hand on the cockatrice's den. ^ They shall 
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, 
saith the Lord of hosts, for the earth shall be 
full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, 
as the waters cover the sea." It is by and 
through this medium, and this alone, that this 



wilderness can become an Eden, and this desert 
like the garden of the Lord; *'joy and ,fi;ladness 
shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice 
of melody/^ 

Now my friends, what are the operations of 
this baptism, and how are they to be experienced? 
Are there not many of us who commit acts un- 
der the influence of pride, ambition, wrath, cru- 
elty, and other evil passions, which may be the 
cause of injuring our neighbours, and wounding 
our own souls? And can any of us commit ac- 
tions of this description with impunity? Is there 
not something which reproves us, when our heads 
are laid on the pillow? And what is this? It is 
the same principle which met Adam in the 
cool of the day, when he had transgressed against 
the power of the living and omnipresent God. 
" And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said 
unto him, where art thou?" Are not the same 
effects produced by evil at the present day? And 
do we not hide ourselves — does not guilt make 
us afraid, and do we not attempt to hide ourselves 
from this divine power, which reproves us for 
every evil? And do we not lose the benefits of 
these reproofs, by hiding ourselves, and by en- 
deavouring to avoid the scrutiny of that power, 
which never looks on evil with acceptance or 



17 

allowance? And does not this remain with us, 
in the matchless mercy of a gracious God? It 
is the same unto us, from infancy to old age, 
when hoar hairs have covered us. 

Now my friends, this principle which reproves 
for evil actions, brings sorrow, trouble, and con- 
fusion, and is the source from which spring 
dread and despair in the guilty mind; yea, it leads 
to every feeling in v#ich there is torment. Here 
is a truth applicable unto all, for all have expe- 
rienced it. And herein is fulfilled another decla- 
ration of scripture — " And they shall teach no 
more, every man his neighbour, and every man 
his brother, saying, know the Lord: for they 
shall all know me from the least of them, unto 
the greatest of them, saith the Lord.'^ And 
here is a medium opened whereby we may come 
to an experimental knowledge which can alone 
lead to life eternal. Whilst there is evil in the 
mind, this ^re will continue to burn until it has 
consumed every thing of a nature calculated to 
separate us from the source of purity. This is 
a haptism of the Holy Ghost, which operates as 
fire, on all the unrighteousness and ungodliness 
of men. And if we will submit to its operations, 
and turn at its reproofs, it will not only become 
a reprover, but a purifier of the souL But have 



18 

we not, on the contrary, experienced the fluctua- 
tions of all those lofty imaginations of the mind, 
brought down into a state of stillness, when we 
have felt a dependence on the divine author of 
our existence, and have willingly waited on him. 
It has been something like what was experienced 
by its follow^ers formerly. And it is this prin- 
ciple which continues to the present day, that 
effected all those mighty miracles which were 
performed among the Jews, in the outward 
advent of the Messiah. We remember that he 
opened the blind eyes, unstopped the deaf ears, 
and healed the maladies of their outward bo- 
dies, cleansed the leprosy, raised the dead, and 
cast out devils. And have these operations- 
ceased? Were they merely limited to a few 
years, and to a peculiar people? No, verily. 
From the foundation of the world, it has not 
only been a medium whereby man could have 
access to the Father, but by which we become 
united to him: for it is an emanation of his own 
eternal and undivided power and spirit; and it 
has from the foundation of the world, opened 
the blind eyes, unstopped the deaf ears, and 
healed all the maladies of the soul, raised the 
dead, and cast out devils. And even at the pre- 
sent day, these operations continue to produce 



19 

their effects in those, and only in those who 
come to him. He continues by the power of 
this gospel, which is preached in every creature, 
to open the eyes of our minds, to unstop the 
deaf ears of our understandings; and he will 
continue to cast out every evil, till we gain a 
complete victory over all our perverse disposi- 
tions and wicked propensities. He will heal 
every malady of the soul, quiet every angry pas- 
sion, and raise us from a death of sin into the 
life of Christ, in which we experience the har- 
monizing power of God, which casts out devils, 
and brings body, soul, and spirit into the divine 
harmopy. 

Now is there any thing in a baptism with wa- 
ter, which can produce these effects? No. But 
as it was in another case so it is in this. When 
we eat the fiesh and drink the blood of Christ, 
it nourisheth the soul as the baptism of his spirit 
cleanseth it. For it is declared, "except ye 
eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth 
my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal 
life." But we cannot become partakers unless it 
is by baptism in his name, and his name is his 
power. But when we are thus baptized into his 
power, then we come to know ]\\s flesh to be 



20 

meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed. And 
what is this blood? It is the life. It is the cir- 
culating raedium which gives vitality to the 
whole system, and circulates through the whole 
system, as the outward blood circulates through 
the whole outward body. So the spirit of Christ 
circulating through the spirit of man, will bring 
about a conformity of thought, word, and action 
to its own nature; and here we become par- 
takers of the life of Christ, and receive benefit 
from his blood; but not through that act of un- 
paralleled malevolence in the Jews, whereby they 
crucified the Son of God. 

When this blood, this divine life, this emana- 
tion from God comes to circulate through the 
whole soul, then we come to be wholly partakers 
of the divine nature; then we become the sons 
of God. And here is fulfilled another declaration, 
which has been long contested. It is a doctrine 
of the scriptures, that those who are elected to- 
gether with Christ are " heirs of God, and joint 
heirs with Jesus Christ ;'' because they become 
partakers with him of the divine nature. And as 
these continue in that election, their understand- 
ings will be more and more fully opened to many 
divine truths, which are hid from the wise and 
the prudent of this world. But by a daily abuse 



21 

of our heavenly Father's will, the reverse will 
be the consequence, and we may become to every 
good thought, word, and work, reprobates. 

" If any man love me let him keep my com- 
mandments." Now these commandments are 
not statutory, but they are prescriptive. They are 
not given to this, that, or any other community, 
but they are engraven on the soul of every indi- 
vidual by the finger of God, and thus they are 
applied to every individual. And thus does the 
Almighty, who governs the universe, who fills 
all place and all space, daily manifest himself to 
each individual as if he w^ere occupied with one 
sole object. But is it not derogatory to man^ 
and to the honour of his Creator, to believe that 
the noblest of God's creation should be left to a 
dependence on external circumstances, and to 
work 6ut their salvation by such means? I have 
no such belief at all. My faith is not founded 
upon such grounds as these. I never received 
any religion from my ancestors. I was not a 
prophet, neither a prophet's son ; neither was I 
trained up in the schools of literature, to make 
merchandise, more effectually, of the souls of the 
people. I was trained up to labour, and in the 
school of deep affliction I learned where peace 
was to be found. And I am willing to tell my fel- 



22 

low members where it can be found. It is not 
to be found in systems, — it is not to be found in 
opinions, or principles, or sentiments, but in the 
operation of the spirit of God, producing prin- 
ciples which lead to a practical belief 

For instance, can any man become honest, 
except by a principle of honesty within him? 
Can he become merciful, except he be under the 
direction of the principle of mercy in himself? 
Can he love God the Father, and his neighbour 
as himself, except he be under the government 
of a principle of love? 

And as these fruits grow, religion becomes an 
individual work, and is the immediate operation 
of the spirit of Christ upon our spirits, perform- 
ing those miracles, giving those precepts, and 
preaching the gospel unto those who are poor 
in spirit. Thus we become members of that 
living body of which Christ is the head, and we 
know him to be all and in all. 

And the manifestation of Christ was not limit- 
ed merely to that outward body amongst the 
Jews. This power operated long before that 
season, for it is recorded of Israel, that " they 
did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all 
drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank 
of that spiritual rock that followed them, and 



that rock was Christ.'' And let us remember 
that Jesus is a saviour, and that Immanuel is 
God with us: and we need not look for this di- 
vine power at a great distance, and beyond the 
grave; for " the word is nigh thee, even in thy 
mouth and in thy heart; that is the word of faith 
which we preach unto you.'' It is in us a teacher; 
it is known unto all. We must, therefore, come 
to the conclusion, when we follow the example 
of Christ by a daily and hourly obedience to the 
operation of the spirit, that God is not found 
merely at a great distance and beyond the grave, 
for he is manifest in our flesh. 

What is God? It is that divine power which 
first created and which yet sustains the universe. 
It is this divine principle which 

" Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, 
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees ; 
Lives through all life, extends through all extent, 
Spreads undivided, operates unspent; 
Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, 
As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart; 
As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns, 
As the rapt seraph that adores and burns.'* 

It is here that we must become acquainted 
with that principle, omnipotent, omnipresent, 
and omniscient. We must know him from the 



24^ 

operation of his power in our own minds. We 
must know him to open our blind eyes, to unstop 
our deaf ears, and heal the maladies of the soul, 
raise the dead, and cast out devils. And we 
shall then also be enabled to see him throughout 
all his works. But I do not, and I cannot, lead 
you to any external object, my friends, as a pri- 
mary medium of instruction. But if our minds 
are under the divine influence, we are prepared 
to receive lessons of instruction from the work- 
manship of his hands; for there is not a blade of 
grass that grows, not a leaf that flutters in the 
wind, nor the meanest insect that we tread upon, 
but declares the workmanship of a God. Here 
are lessons of instruction deeply and indelibly 
engraven upon our minds, as nothing short of 
infinite wisdom could have formed them, nor can 
now sustain them for a moment. And his care 
extends to all, however minute, and let their 
number be what it may; for he fills all space. 
There are none too high to be controled by him, 
nor too low to feel his supporting power. One 
of the divine penmen must have been aware of 
this, when he says, " Whither shall I go from 
thy spirit.'' or whither shall I fly from thy pre- 
sence? If I ^scend up into heaven thou art there: 
if I make my bed in hell behold thou art there. 



25 

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell ia 
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall 
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold 
me." And now coming to be baptized into 
Christ's death, we shall experience a victory 
over all those principles which disobedience has 
brought over our minds, and which have pro- 
duced death. And having received the electioa, 
€ven the adoption of sons, and having become 
partakers of the divine harmony, and experienced 
the knowledge of God, we shall not go back to 
the weak and beggarly elements which produce 
no peace, but which will lead into bondage. But 
I hope better things for you, and things that ac- 
company salvation. And when this is produced 
in our minds, we shall experience an holy sab- 
bath or state of rest — a holy day. It is then, 
and not till then, that we can sanctify a fast 
That we can " blow the trumpet in Zion, sanc- 
tify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the 
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the 
elders, gather the children. Let the bridegroom 
go forth of his chamber and the bride out of her 
closet. Let the priests and the ministers of the 
Lord weep between the porch and the altar, and 
let them say, spare thy people, O Lord, and give 
not thy heritage to reproach^ that the heathen 

D 



26 

should rule over them. Wherefore should they 
say, among the people, where is their God?" 

Whatever our avocations in life may be, our 
minds may be brought into obedience to the 
san)e baptizing power, and hence all these effects 
will be produced. And what are the priests 
and the ministers, who are to stand between the 
porch and the altar, and thus pray for the peo- 
ple — *' O Lord, give not thine heritage to re- 
proach?'' Are they individuals appointed and 
supported by man? No, verily. Who are these 
ministers of God, whom he n\aketh as a flame 
of fire? They are all ministering spirits, sent 
forth to minister to them that shall be " heirs of 
salvation.^' They are those ministers who are 
employed in casting out devils. They are those 
who are employed in nourishing up the soul 
unto everlasting life. And when we come to 
experience this fulfilled in us, then we shall 
know another declaration fulfilled, to our souls 
comfort — that " there was war in heaven: Mi- 
chael and his angels fought against the dragon; 
and the dragon fought and his angels, and pre- 
vailed not, neither was their place found any 
more in heaven." Now shall we look at a great 
distance and beyond the grave, for this heaven? 
No. Rather let us remember the declaration — 



.%-^ 
m 



27 

'' the kingdom of heaven is within you.'^ There 
we are to look for the appearing of this king- 
dom, and there we are to experience his go- 
verning power — there we are to know his laws 
to have dominion over every other name, power, 
and principle in us, and know that he " rules as 
with a rod of iron" against all unrighteousness 
and ungodliness of men, and we shall know that 
the sceptre of righteousnes is the sceptre of his 
kingdom. And under the influence of this 
governing principle, we shall know that these 
angels are the ministers of God to man, for good; 
and that the lion of the tribe of Juda continues 
to open the book of the mysteries of heaven, 
and enables to look thereon. And renjember 
that the seals were opened in order, and not 
in confusion, but one after another. These seals 
were opened through the mighty operation of 
the power of God, opening the various seals 
adapted to the state and condition, and to the 
various advancement of individuals in the chris- 
tian course. What is the opening of these seals.^ 
Is it not the opening of the understanding tiiat 
we may comprehend divine truths.^ We cannot 
become religious all at once — from a state of 
wickedness and profanity, to a state of strict ad- 
herence to the law of God. It is a caUise of 



28 

thankfulness in my soul that I can acknowledge 
at the present day, that he has been merciful in 
that which he required at my hands, that when 
my feet were first turned towards the city of 
Zion, had I seen all that would have been re- 
quired of me, its effects would have been over- 
whelming. But in the mercy of God those 
thitfgs viere opened which I was able to compre- 
hend, and which were immediately essential 
And as my understanding became opened, I saw 
farther. As a child in the rudiments of educa- 
tion can see but little; but as we advance, and 
add experience, our minds are enlarged, our 
understanding increases, till we become perfect 
in the art or science, which has been the object 
of our study. So it is in a spiritual relation. 
This the apostle had in view; for he says^ 
*' When I was a child, I spake as a child, F un- 
derstood as a child, I thought as a child: but 
when I became a man, I put away childish 
things.^' Now, would to God that we may ex- 
perience this growth in grace and become men, 
and put away childish things, and perverse dis- 
positions which cannot unite together; because it 
is an infallible and self-evident truth, that while 
we are under the government of these disposi- 
tions we cannot advance into that divine harmony. 






29 

because of sin and transgression. We cannot be- 
come afflicted in the afflictions of our brethren, 
because, to do this, we must become partakers 
of the nature of Christ. For in all the afflic- 
tions of the Jews, " he was afflicted, and the 
angel of his presence saved them.'^ " He led 
them about, he instructed them, he kept them as 
the apple of his eye.^' 

But to return — "There was war in heaven: Mi- 
chael and his angels fought against the dragon; and 
the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, 
neither was their place found any more in hea- 
ven.^' And what are these angels? And what are 
these devils? Are we to look for them in the Para- 
dise of Milton, or in the disordered imaginations 
of any of the poets? Are we to look upon angels, 
as women with wings, carrying the divine com- 
mands to and fro in the earth? Are we to look 
upon devils, as local self-existent beings, calcu- 
lated to torment the human soul in lakes of fire 
and brimstone? Now, I have had a different view 
of these things; and as far as it respects myself, 
I see no good reason to change that view. Not 
that I want to impose it upon any of you — but 
my view is, that these angels are the- heavenly 
and virtuous dispositions; and that the devils are 
evil dispositions, which, if indulged by man^ and 



«: 



30 

that indulgence continued, will become the tor- 
mentors of the human family. But when we 
come to know the angel of love, to cast out the 
devil of hatred; the angel of mercy, to cast out 
the devil of cruelty; the angel of temperance, 
to cast out the devil of intemperance; the angel 
of hope, to cast out the devil of despair — and 
when we know every ministering angel of God, 
(and they are an host) and every heavenly dispo- 
sition to take possession of the mind, they must 
necessarily cast out the opposite dispositions, ad- 
versaries, and enemies, and what if I say devils — 
they will thus become the governing principle of 
the mind. And while we are under the influ- 
ence of him who is the head of all this multitude 
of ministering spirits, the enemy can never be 
reinstated. Then we shall know the declaration 
fulfilled that there was war in heaven; and this 
being continued in our minds till judgment is 
brought forth unto truth, we shall come into that 
state in which we can see a mighty angel stand 
with one foot upon the sea and the other upon 
the earth, as we may remember the angel stood, 
and was raised above all the fluctuating imagina- 
tions, which are typified by the sea, and he was 
raised above all earthly propensities. This ana- 
logy is beautiful, and deeply instructive. In this 



31 

state he " lifted up his hand to heaven and sware 
by him who Hveth forever and ever, that there 
should be time no longer/^ Here, my friends, 
we are not under the influence of feelings cir- 
cumscribed by days or by times, by months or 
years; but we are centered in that divine light in 
which we can say, come life or death, riches or 
poverty, sickness or health — Yea, all matters 
of a sublunary nature — all earthly things be- 
come matters of indifference to us. And where- 
fore? Because we shall see " another mighty 
angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the ever- 
lasting gospel to preach/' And what is this 
preaching? It is what every man and woman 
must experience in themselves — '* Fear God and 
give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment 
is come; and worship him that made heaven, and 
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." 
And what is worship.^ Does it consist in bowing 
down the head like a bull-rush; or in lifting up 
the voice like a trumpet.'^ Does it consist in per- 
forming and fulfilling the rituals of some out- 
ward system — such as preaching, praying, and 
singing? Does it consist in the performance of 
family duties, and the adoption of a system? No. 
This is the fast that the Lord hath chosen—- 
" To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo 



32 

the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go 
free, and that ye break every yoke — to deal thy 
bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the 
poor that are cast out to thy house — when thou 
seest the naked that thou cover hiin; and that 
thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh." 
These are duties in the performance of which 
God is acceptably worshiped. He looks not to 
the position of the body, or to any particular 
form of words. He trieth the hearts and searchelh 
the reins of all men, and he knoweth all our 
thoughts, ere they are brought forth. Neither 
is worship restricted to any particular time or 
place— or to those only who are thus assembled. 
For we may preach, pray, and sing, and perform a 
great variety of outward rituals, and yet stand 
in infidelity. What then is worship? It consists 
in obedience to the operation of that divine illi- 
mitable principle, which is designed to guide out 
of every evil and into all truth. This is the kind 
of spiritual religion which is enjoined on every 
one of us, and is to be performed by actions, 
and reduced to daily practice, whether we sit in 
the house or walk by the w^y. And this law 
which is given should be placed as a frontlet be- 
tween the eyes. " And these words, which I 
command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 



33 

and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy 
children, and shalt talk of them when thou sit- 
test in thine house, and when thou walkest by 
the way, and when thou liest down, and wheft 
thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a 
sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as front- 
lets between thine eyes/^ But let us remember 
my friends, that it is not only when we are thus 
assembled that we ought to labour to come to 
this continued sabbath, in which we are brought 
to a state of willingness to do every thing for the 
glory of God, and in which we can testify with 
Christ himself, " my meat and my drink is to do 
the will of him that sent me, and to finish his 
work/' 

Now let us look a little at the effects which 
would be produced in the human family, by an 
universal extension of these principles of religion, 
and a belief in them and their effects. It is the 
opening of these things upon our minds, that will 
bring us out of that which is evil, and into that 
which is good. If any of us have been intem- 
perate, we shall come under the influence of that 
principle which produces temperance. There 
is a principle in our minds, by which, if we have 
been cruel, we shall be brought under the influ- 
ence of mercy. And this is an operative prin- 



34 

ciple; it does not depend on the opinions of 
others — of our forefathers, the scriptures of 
truth, or any other external cause. There is 
no principle prepared by others, which can ever 
nourish up the soul to eternal life. Not all the 
costly food that can be eaten by others, will ever 
nourish our bodies; we must be partakers our- 
selves. We cannot see with another^s eyes, or 
hear with another's ears; neither can we under- 
stand with the heart of another. If we ever 
come to see, hear, or understand, and to be con- 
verted, it must be with our own faculties, and 
not with those of another. If we are ever con- 
verted, we must experience the dealings of God 
with us. Here is a religion which is immedi- 
ately adapted to each individual. This is a re- 
ligion which can banish from the earth ail evil 
that comes from sin; it can bruise the head of 
every serpentine disposition which separates us 
from God. 

Now let us look a little at the effects which 
would be thus produced in the world. Where 
would there be room for wars, if the angel of 
love should cast out the devil of hatred and envy? 
Where would be found quarrels in families, 
squabbles in neighbourhoods, or war among na- 
tions.'^ All these must die away and perish, be- 



^'^f^ 



S5 

cause they stand not in love, in humility, and 
forgiveness, but in a perversion of those leading 
principles of the human mind. While pride 
and ambition continue, wars and dissensions will 
abound. If we are under the influence of tem- 
perance, where will there be room for intempe- 
rance? And here we come to see the declaration 
fulfilled, that " the axe is laid unto the root of 
the tree: therefore every tree which bringeth not 
forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the 
fire/' And what are we to understand by this? 
Why, when this is the case we shall see that not 
merely the branches are lopped off, or the extre- 
mities destroyed, for this would only cause the 
tree to put forth more luxuriantly, but the axe 
is laid to the root of the tree. And where is 
this root? It is in the mind — it is in the soul. 
For the gospel dispensation takes not cognizance 
of the outward actions, or outward words, but it 
lays the axe to the root of the tree, or of these 
imaginations of the heart, from whence all the 
outward evil actions proceed. This must have 
been the design in that declaration of Christ 
himself, in his inimitable sermon on the mount. 
That sermon bears a testimony worthy to be 
engraven on the tablets of every heart, and bound 
round the horns of every altar, for it is neces- 



36 

sary, if we would come under the government 
of that principle which would lead us out of 
every thing that is evil, and every thing which 
has a tendency to separate us from the source 
of purity, and the author of our existence. >' Ye 
have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love 
thy neighbour and hate thine enemy; but I say 
unto you, love your enemies: bless them that 
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and 
pray for them that despitefully use you and per- 
secute you/' Here is a precept which must put 
an end to all wars and fightings, yea to dissen- 
sions of every kind, among all those who come 
under its influence. There are a variety of other 
precepts, with which you are as well acquainted 
as I am. It was written — and perhaps it is one 
of the most conclusive declarations of any to be 
found in the sacred writings — " Ye have heard 
that it was said, by them of old time, thou shalt 
not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that 
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, 
hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart." Where, then, is the evil laid? Is it upon 
the act? No. Rather upon the thoughts or ima- 
ginations from which the actions proceed. See- 
ing, therefore, that these things have been estar 
blished, not only on scripture testimony, but in 



37 

the line of each of our experience, I have desir- 
ed that we may cease from a dependence on the 
works of man, whose breath is in his nostrils: 
and rest assured, that the enemies of man are 
they of his own household. They consist in 
those perverted dispositions, which have produc- 
ed all the evil that there is in the world, which 
lead into all this variety of sentiments and opi- 
nion^. I am not about to say that we should 
see all things in the same point of view, for this 
is an impossibility in the nature of things. This 
baptism, whereby we are initiated into the church 
of Christ, operates according to the diversities 
of our dispositions, many of which are rash, 
headstrong, fierce, proud, and cruel. All these 
must be brought into the depths of hell, and ex- 
perience the depths of judgment. They will 
have to bear the furnace of affliction, when it is 
heated seven times hotter than it is wont to be 
heated. These dispositions want to be brought 
under the curb and rein of gospel discipline. 
These will view the Most High as a God of judg- 
ment. They must be led in low paths, lest they 
take their flight on the sabbath day. I can bear 
this testimony to the praise and glory of God, 
because herein is our safety, and we are not per- 
mitted to enjoy so much of that sabbath as others 



38 

who are differently constituted. But, my friends, 
wherever these dispositions abound, wherever 
the dispositions and passions are strong, there is 
a proportionable revelation and manifestation of 
the divine power, which lifts up a standard 
against them. Thus, according to our various 
circumstances and dispositions, the more we have 
need of the armour of strength to overcome every 
enemy, every adversary, and every devil, and to 
cast them out. But these will look on the Most 
High as a God of judgment. Their minds will 
be kept low in the depths of humility. I am 
persuaded of this, my young friends, for there 
was a time when I was young, as you are now, 
and when my mind was in a state of innocency; 
and when I was brought under the influence of 
this principle, I could testify of his mercy, and 
the joy and consolation that I experienced was 
great; and it enabled me to keep a rein over all 
my actions. But, notwithstanding this, I took 
my flight upon the sabbath day, after which I 
took full swing in acts of madness and of folly; 
and I can bear this testimony of laughter, that 
it is mad, and of mirth, what doeth it? I was 
separated far and wide from the paths of recti- 
tude. I took the broad way that leadeth to ever- 
lasting destruction. But blessed be the name 



39 

of Israel's God forever, for he plucked me as a 
brand from the burning. He met me in a nar- 
row way, where I had no way for escape; and 
this at a time when the grave was yawning be- 
fore me, and when my soul was even expecting 
that it would soon be closed upon me. Now 
were my sins set in order before me. They 
appeared as mountains between me and my God. 
Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter. I 
did mourn as a dove. Days, weeks, and months 
have I wandered by the way and in solitary 
places, in the depths of mourning. And thus 
it was, in one of those seasons when my soul 
was overwhelmed in the depths of affliction, that 
this language came to me: what ever shall I do.'^ 
I saw no way; affliction was before me and be- 
hind me. I was surrounded on every side with 
the depths of trouble, when this language was 
begotten in me, and I believe it was a divine in- 
timation: " What wilt thou do.^ — I have the 
words of eternal life.^' With this came a qui- 
etude, which I had not experienced for a long 
season. In this state of quietude there was a 
language spoken in my soul! And may my soul 
never forget the day in which I experienced this 
language: *' What wilt thou do? I have the words 
of eternal hfe.^^ But even until now I have not 



40 

so fully been made a partaker of the joys of that 
rejoicing, in which I took my flight upon the sab- 
bath day. And thus an evidence was sealed upon 
my mind, that 1 should not be able to become a 
partaker of those sublime visions, because they 
are something in which these high and lofty dis- 
positions fly away unto vain imaginations. There- 
fore I can, bear this testimony: if you are thus 
proud, lofty, fierce, and ungovernable, you must 
be kept poor. But others who are low, despond- 
ing, and despairing, — these will have different 
views of the Most High, and of his dealings. 
They will be brought under the government of 
a different principle. A cup of consolation will 
be handed to these; they will receive of the di- 
vine nourishment; they will experience the power 
of the divine light, which will raise them up till 
the glory of the Lord shall cover all their soul, 
as the waters cover the sea. Here all crooked 
and perverse dispositions shall be made straight, 
and the rough places plain. 

Now, my friends, seeing that we are differ- 
ently constituted, and that the operation of this 
baptism differs, according to the object which it 
is to effect, we cannot, nor is it essential that we 
should, see through the same medium to view 
the same objects. And thus is fulfilled the de- 



41 

daration of an inspired penman: "Now there 
are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit, and 
there are differences of administrations, but the 
same Lord. And there are diversities of ope- 
rations, but it is the same God which worketh 
all in all. But the manifestation of the spirit is 
given to every man to profit withal." I crave 
it of you, and I trust in that love in which there 
is no distinction, that you will not be as those 
"sitting in the market-places and calling one to 
another, and saying, We have piped unto you 
and ye have not danced, we have mourned unto 
jou and ye have not wepf 



SERMON II. 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD, 

DELIVERED AT ARCH STREET MEETING, PHILADEL- 
PHIA, MAY 2 1st, 1826, IN THE AFTERNOON. 

"I AM not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; 
for it is the power of God unto salvation to 
every one that believeth." And in this there is 
no distinction between Jew and Greek, barba- 
rian or Scythian, bond or free. It extends to 
all — all are within its reach. And the gospel of 
Christ, which is the power of God unto salva- 
tion, is purely of a spiritual nature. It stands 
not in words: it is not bounded by opinions; for 
it remains to be a truth, that opinions are not 
religion, neither is declamation gospel. And I 
have no doubt that Jesus had in view the supe- 
riority of this gospel when he said unto his fol- 
lowers, " It is expedient for you, that I go away; 
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come 
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto 
you." 

And what was this going away? It was the 



44 

going away, I apprehend we shall all unite in be^ 
lievhig, of his outward body — that body whicfe 
appeared among the Jews for a short time, and 
for a particular purpose. For according to the 
declaration of the great apostle of the Gentiles, 
Jesus was born of a woman — born under the 
Jaw, in order that he might redeem them from 
under the law, that they might receive the adop- 
tion of sons. And when this great work was 
effected for the Jews, he told them it was expe- 
dient for them, that he should go away. ''For if 
I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto 
you; but if I depart I will pray the Father, and 
he vvill send him unto you; and when he is come, 
he will reprove the world of sin, and of righte- 
ousness, and of judgment — and when the spirit 
of truth is come he will guide you into all truth.'^ 
Here now is a plain, full, and positive declara« 
tion of the design and end of this coming, and of 
the operations which were to be performed by 
this spirit which was no less than the guidance of 
mankind. And on another occasion he said to 
his followers, " But the Comforter, which is the 
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my 
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all 
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you.'' And here is a view in which 
we may see not only the usefulness^ bat the ac- 



45 

tual necessity of this principle, which was de- 
signed to be a teacher, to bring all things to our 
remembrance. And he declared, that which he 
would give was his life, and which, said he, I 
will give for the life of the world. Now are we 
to look at this as having an allusion to the death 
of the body? No, my friends. It had allusion to 
giving that divine life which is of Grod, and hid 
with Christ in God, on condition that we will 
give up the life of the world^ — our carnal, evil 
dispositions, which have a tendency to separate 
us from the source of purity. And when we 
come to give up that life, which is impure and 
unholy, the divine life will not only be begotten, 
but will be brought forth in us. And this is the 
witness, which was borne concerning the life 
which was given for the life of the world and its 
corrupt propensities. That there is no occasion 
for this proverb: "The fathers have eaten sour 
grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. 
As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have 
occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.^' 
Surely, my friends, we need not this proverb; for 
though our fathers have eaten sour grapes, their 
teeth and theirs only were set on edge. If we 
do that which is evil, we shall reap the reward of 
our wickedness; for wickedness always brings 
its own reward. So again if we do that which 



46 

is lawful and right, we shall reap the reward of 
our doings also: and this can be confirmed by 
another scripture testimony. "Say ye to the 
righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they 
shall eat the fruit of their doings. Wo unto the 
wicked! It shall be ill with him; for the reward 
of his works shall be given him.'' And now, 
my friends and fellow-professors of this holy 
name, the name of Christ, the way is so plain, 
until it becomes darkened by the sophistry of 
man, that the wayfaring man, though a fool^ 
can not err therein. 

Some may conclude that our consciences may 
become seared as with a hot iron, so that we 
cannot discern the monitions of this preceptor. 
But I have never known a burn — and it is a pow- 
erful allusion — indeed I know not of any animal 
body, in which it does not produce pain. And 
although we may strive to turn away from that 
reproof and instruction, which leads to the way 
of life; and from the monitions of this livi^ ^ 
principle, still we can never remove ourselves 
beyond the feeling of its effects. Whenever 
the conscience is seared, the feeling it occasions 
is painful. Our punishment is as certain as wick- 
edness is the immediate cause thereof: for as 
certainly as murder, theft, drunkenness, lying, 
swearing, backbiting, and every other evil pro- 



47 

duce in the mind disquietude, distress, trouble, 
sorrow, and affliction, so certainly will love, 
meekness, charity, and the cultivation of every 
heavenly virtue produce the opposite effects of 
joy, peace, and consolation, in every holy spirit. 

Well now, my friends, how are we to attain 
to these ends? How are we to attain to the feel- 
ing of these joys? It is not by remaining in the 
first or second heavens. " I knew a man in 
Christ above fourteen years ago," said the Apos- 
tle, '' (whether in the body I cannot tell, or 
whether out of the body I cannot tell; God 
knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third 
heaven, where he heard unspeakable words, 
which it is not lawful for a man to utter.^^ 

Now, I apprehend there may be many of us 
grovelling in the first or lowest heaven, under the 
government of our natural and animal propen- 
sities, which is a government but little better 
than that of the beasts which perish. These 
operate in inferior beings, and are called in* 
stinct, and are bestowed on them for their guid- 
ance. And if we pervert our rational powers, 
instead of being the most noble of God's crea- 
tures, we become the most ignoble; and thus 
stamp upon our own selves, most indelibly, the 
seeds of sorrow, pain, and distress; and cru- 
cify the Son of God anew, in his spiritual ap- 



48 

pearing, and put him to an open shame. And 
while we are taking delight in those things which 
are of a carnal and a sensual nature, we are in 
the first or lowest heaven. For what is heaven? 
It is a state in which we delight to dwell, and 
in which our hopes of happiness are fixed. 

I have no doubt many are ready to conclude, 
that they are no longer grovelling in this first or 
lowest heaven, but that ihey have ascended above 
it. But if they are stopping in the second hea- 
ven, they are in a still more dangerous situation. 
Many have taken up a profession of religion, and 
have adopted systems and creeds, and have sub- 
scribed to the various formularies adopted by 
men of corrupt minds, and reprobates concern- 
ing the true faith, to bind the conscience with. 
In the performance of these formularies they are 
endeavouring to find peace from a troubled con- 
science, and to get from under the feelings of 
that hot iron which becomes painful unto them. 
And here is the second heaven. These can bear 
an excellent character among men, of good hus- 
bands, good citizens, good neighbours, good 
friends; and thousands there are who have co- 
vered themselves under this plausible appear- 
ance, to their present and everlasting loss. And 
what do they learn by all these external per- 
formances.^ They learn to perform a round of 



49 

ceremonies; they learn to hide this fault or that 
weakness, and to appear righteous in the opi- 
nion of others; but they do not learn to attend 
to the spirit, which Christ said would lead into 
all truth. These have come to the conclusion, 
" We will not have this man to rule over us/' 
We will continue in the systems which we have 
adopted — declamation shall be our gospel, and 
we will have our dependence on these external 
things. All such are in the second heaven, be- 
cause they are acting under the influence of feel- 
ings, opinions, and systems which they have 
chosen, and are pleasing themselves with the idol 
pictures which they have drawn. 

But, my friends, the mysteries of the kingdom 
of heaven are not here opened unto us. Nor 
can any rise to a higher state thereby, than that 
to which the Jews attained, which is only a legal 
dispensation, and genders to bondage. But when 
we come under the governing influence of that 
principle which opens the blind eyes, unstops 
the deaf ears, heals all the maladies of the soul, 
and raises from a death of sin and corruption, 
into the light and life of Christ; then we come 
to experience something which is not lawful to 
be uttered. We come to know the operation of 
the spirit of God upon our spirits, and to know 
what it is to be reproved for every evil thought, 



50 

word, and action; and so we shall know what it 
is to become partakers of the joys of his conso- 
lation. In this consolation, and under the influ- 
ence of these feelings, we are kept from evil, and 
come to know what it is to labour for the bread 
of life, which cometh down from God out of 
heaven. We shall be careful, I apprehend, not 
to waste it in boasting. We shall be careful not 
to adopt any system which would have a tendency 
to obstruct or dissipate those feelings which are 
the ground of our life, and which are given "for 
a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty 
unto the residue of his people.^' But wherever 
the works of man, and the imaginations of man, 
are mixed with the creative power of God, ihey 
always produce a monstrous birth, or something 
which can never be the inhabitant of heaven. 
The faculties by which we come to the know- 
ledge of God, are not instinctive; they are not 
rational, but spiritual. These spiritual faculties 
are placed in us as governors, to operate upon 
the rational understanding; and when the mind 
and body are brought under the same governing 
influence, all will become pure, and all our en- 
joyments will be centred in the third heaven. 
We shall not be anxious to have a great name 
and high honours among men. We shall not be 
anxious to become rich, or great, or wise, or 



51 

good in the sight of men; but we shall become 
anxious in all things, " to have a conscience void 
of offence toward God and toward man/' 

None of these will be sought from among men, 
for there is very little necessity for their applause, 
so long as we have peace in our own souls. As 
said the Apostle, " If our heart condemn us not, 
then have we confidence toward God/' And if 
God be for us, it is of no consequence who shall 
be against us. And if we abide under this di- 
vine government daily, all obstructions will be 
removed, and we shall be enabled more and 
more fully to discover those things which were 
before mysterious in our view. It is not essen- 
tial — and I feel no hesitation in declaring it- 
it is not essential for us to believe a great deal, 
which we can neither comprehend nor under- 
stand; for where is the necessity of this.^ Is 
the Lord's arm shortened that he cannot save? 
Or his ear heavy that he cannot hear? No, ve- 
rily; for it remains to be a truth, that the spirit 
which is come, if attended to, will guide us 
into all truth, and consequently out of all error; 
for these cannot dwell together; we cannot 
serve God and mammon. " No servant can 
serve two masters; for either he will hate the one 
and love the other, or else he will hold to the 
one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve 



52 

God and mammon/^ And Christ also declared, 
when in that prepared body in which he came 
to do his heavenly Father's will, " And I, if I 
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 
unto me/' Has this any allusion — or are we to 
be taught to believe that it alludes to his being 
lifted up upon the tree, that act of unparalleled 
malevolence in the Jews in his crucifixion, that 
he would draw all men immediately unto him? 
No; but he is in all those who are lifted above 
every evil propensity, and he draws them to^him, 
and thus the declaration is fulfilled: "I in them 
and thou in me, that they may be one in us." 
These he is not ashamed to call his brethren. 
And wherefore.^ Because they are begotten by 
the same power, and brought forth in the same 
life; and here is unity and union between them, 
though they have still a being here on earth. 
Thus the sting of death is removed. The grave 
IS deprived of its victory. Their hope of happi- 
ness is not on external and outward things, but 
on internal and spiritual things. And the evi- 
dences which they feel, and which are sealed 
upon their minds, are not those of doubt, not 
those of speculation; they are not evidences 
which they have derived from theological theo- 
ries and the language of scripture, or from any 
outward objects; but they are produced by the 



53 

imrnediate operation of the spirit of God upon 
their minds. Here, now, is a religion worthy 
of man and worthy of a Creator. For it leads 
man from the bondage of sin and corruption into 
the beauty of holiness and newness of life. And 
here may be known another declaration to be 
fulfilled: " Except a man be born again, he can 
in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

And what is heaven.-^ Is it a place at a great 
distance and beyond the grave, where there are 
all kinds of sensual rewards reserved for the sen- 
sual minds of all those who have preserved a fair 
character among men? No. It is a state in 
which we can enjoy communion with God, and 
in which we can know the bread of life to nou- 
rish up our souls. We may come to the enjoy- 
ment of it here; and if we come not to the en- 
joyment of it here, our hope of its enjoyment 
hereafter is unfounded: for, according to an- 
other declaration, the kingdom of heaven is with- 
in you. I have desired, therefore, that we may 
see this building begun from a foundation which 
never can be moved, and by materials which 
will last forever. 

Remember the works and effects produced 
by a building which was begun formerly and 
never finished. And the nature of the case 
was this. The children of Noah increased and 



54 

spread abroad upon the face of the earth, '' and 
they said, go to, let us build us a city, and a tower 
whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us 
make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad 
upon the face of the whole earth," " And they 
said one to another, let us make brick and biirn 
them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, 
and slime had they for mortar." These materials 
were wholly the result of human invention. 
They went on with their work, depending on 
their own inventions, and took not stone, but 
brick had they for stone, and sHme they had for 
mortar; and thus they continued till confusion 
came upon them, and their language was con- 
founded. 

It is no part of our duty now, nor will it yield 
instruction to enter into a disquisition, of what 
this confusion was; but I apprehend it was very 
much like that diversity of views and opinions, 
which have split and divided Christendom for 
ages. They could not see with the same eyes — 
they could not have the same views of the same 
objects; and therefore dissensions ensued, and 
the very thing they dreaded came upon them. 
They were scattered and divided upon the face 
of the earth. And how eminently has this been 
the case with professors of the christian name, 
because they have endeavoured to build accord- 



55 

ing to systems which their own imaginations had 
formed; and to use the materials and works of 
their own creation. They have endeavoured to 
build up a city whose tower and top should reach 
to heaven, to preserve them from the power of 
evil. And is it not obvious that all their works 
are vain.-^ For with the increase of religi<i^ and 
religious opinions in the earth, wickedness has 
also increased in nearly the same ratio: and not- 
withstanding the abundance of religion in our 
land, perhaps there was never a day when So- 
dom's sins were more predominant. " As I live, 
saith the Lord God, Sodom, thy sister, hath not 
done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, 
thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the 
iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of 
bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and 
in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the 
hand of the poor and the needy. And they were 
haughty, and committed abominations before me; 
therefore, I took them away as I saw good.''^ 

This is a subject which requires the serious 
and careful investigation of every individual of 
us: for there never can be an effect produced 
without an operative cause. And the operative 
cause which has produced these painful and de- 
structive effects, stands not in the power of reli- 
gion, nor in the wisdom of God, but stands in 



5Q 

the dereliction of these. We have substituted a 
great deal of that which is of our own creation, 
that we might have a tower of our own building. 
We have substituted this for the immediate mani- 
festations of that principle which continues to 
open the blind eyes, to unstop the deaf ears, and 
to beal every malady of the soul, even to the 
cleansing of leprosy, casting out devils, and rais- 
ing from a death of sin, to the life of God in the 
soul. 

There has been a great deal of preaching, 
praying and singing; and strenuous efforts have 
been made to support with gold, the gospel and 
the Bible; and I know not what beside. But let 
us look at the foundation upon which they have 
been building. It is worse than that of Babel; 
for do we not see, that in all these benevolent 
societies, so called, money, money is the object, 
the love of which is the root of all evil. And 
from whom are these donations and subscrip- 
tions solicited? Are they solicited from the pious, 
the righteous, and virtuous in society, and from 
those who are worthy to support the cause of 
the divine kingdom.^ No, verily. They are receiv- 
ed from the blood thirsty warrior, the cruel slave 
holding oppressor, from those who are turning 
the choicest temporal gifts of heaven into the 
most grievous of curses. They are received 



51 

from the drunkard and the gambler — from those 
who have ruined themselves by extra vagance^ 
and have drawn others into the same condemna- 
tion: and what if I should say, that I verily be- 
Jieve, the hire of an harlot, and the price of a 
dog, both of which are an abomination in the 
sight of heaven, and ought not to come into the 
Lords's treasury, would not be refused, is this, 
then, the foundation on which the church of 
God is to be built? Can any thing which is thus 
corrupt, ever support the superstructure? No, 
verily; for the vessels of the Lord^s house are 
holy. It is evident, therefore, that self inte- 
rest is the main spring of action, and not re- 
ligion. 

Now let us look a little at this evil. Can the 
warrior under the influence of a thirst after blood, 
support the kingdom of Christ on earth .^ No, 
my brethren, never — he never can support the 
cause of peace on earth and good will to men. 
Can he who is an oppressor of his brethren, de- 
clare that he would do unto all men as he would 
that they should do unto him? 

Now let us turn our attention a little to a 
deadly evil in this boasted land of liberty. We 
see the choicest blessings of heaven transformed 
into the most grievous curse; so that what was 
designed for the support of man, is made to pro- 

H 



5S 

duce his destruction. We see the most whole* 
some food transformed into a fiery liquid poison. 
Perhaps within the recollection of each of us^ 
we have known many, who have been bereaved 
of some branch of their family, and felt the 
desolating effects of this mournful evil. The 
thoughtless multitude will despise the poor drunk- 
ard; and among these are to be found those who 
have ruined the constitutions, destroyed the bo- 
dies and intellects, and what if I should say, the 
souls of men by this perversion of the bounties 
of heaven. But let them beware, that they are 
not in the second heaven, taking a false rest, and 
that they do not find their state Tvorse than that 
of the drunkard. I apprehend that the drunkard 
is not the worst of the family. The distiller and 
the retailer — these are the elder brethren in ini- 
quity. These are the vultures, that are preying 
upon the very vitals of their weaker brethren — 
and interest; sordid interest is the moving cause, 
I therefore want us all, again to take it into se- 
rious consideration — especially if we are look- 
ing for happiness in an existence beyond the 
grave. See what feelings this will produce in 
our minds. Now if it brings peace into well re- 
gulated minds here, it will bring peace hereafter; 
and if trouble, f orrow, confusion, horror, dread, 
and despair, it will produce the same effects in 



59 

lime to come. For as God is God, and changes 
not, so evil never changes its consequences, nor 
ceases to produce its effects, and its effects are 
misery. 

Now let us turn again to the gospel, which is 
preached in every creature. And what is the 
gospel.^ It is that of which we need not be 
ashamed — it is declared to be the power of God 
unto salvation to all them that beheve. But 
there is a gospel of which I may acknowledge I 
am ashamed. It stands in the w^isdom of man — 
it is supported by his eloquence, and ambition 
for worldly honour; and I apprehend there is very 
little ditference in the motives of the warrior, 
who strives to gain a name by his valour in the 
field of battle, the lawyer at the bar, or the priest 
in the pulpit. They are all prompted by differ- 
ent modifications of the same spirit — they are 
all seeking for honour from man, and verily, they 
have their reward. They are seeking honour 
which depends upon their own works, and the 
works of man can never work the righteousness 
of God. I want you to know your interest bet- 
ter. If you will make a profession of religion, 
let it be a religion which will not only do to live 
by in youth, in health, and in prosperity, but in 
adversity and distress; a religion which will rob 
death of its sting, and the grave of its victory — 



60 

a religion which will open unto us the new and 
living way, which leads into that which is within 
the vail, the hohest of all^ where nothing will 
be hid from the view, and where we shall be 
able to behold the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven opened unto us. 

But the preaching, which commonly goes by 
the name of preaching— what is it? It is a mere 
form of words, and those who utter them are 
mere linguists and not preachers. It is often pre- 
pared beforehand. And what is that preparation? 
is it to cry aloud and spare not? Do these lift 
up their voice like a trumpet, and cry aloud to 
show Israel their transgressions, and Jacob their 
sins? Is it not all to build up systems which they 
have adopted, by daubing together bricks witfe< 
slime, and not with mortar, till it has become 
confusion worse confounded? 

I want not to see these effects among man- 
kind. I want us to come under the influence of 
that gospel which is preached, where it ought to 
be preached, and where it was declared that it 
should be preached, " in every creature under 
heaven." And when we come to experience this 
preached baptiziogly in ourselves, we shall know 
that the command was not given to preach and 
baptize merely: but we shall know it preached 
baptizingly in ourselves. And that living principle 



61 

which preaches this gospel, is the same whicfi 
baptizes with the Holy Ghost. " I indeed bap- 
tize you with water unto repentance: but he 
that cometh after me, is mightier than I, whose 
shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: whose 
fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge 
his floor and gather his wheat into the garner^ 
but he will burn up the chaff with unquench- 
able fire.'' 

And what is this chaff which will be burnt? 
Is it not our light, airy, and trifling dispositions 
which we indulge to our hurt, and which se- 
parate us from every thing of a heavenly nature, 
which is compared to wheat? This baptism of 
the Holy Ghost operates upon these passions and 
dispositions, as fire does upon chaff, and it is 
experienced, in a degree, by every one of us. 
And if so, why need we say, " Who shall ascend 
into heaven to bring Christ down from above, 
or who shall descend into the deep to bring him 
up from thence;^' for what saith the spirit: "the 
word is nigh thee, in thy heart and in thy mouthy 
that thou mayst hear it and do it." And this 
is the word which is preached unto you by the 
gospel. And now this is a matter which can be 
brought to each of our views, and we need no 
reasoning in circles; we need no eloquent de 



62 

clamation, to enable us to understand the truths 
which it communicates. It is something which 
brings sorrow, trouble, and confusion over the 
mind for that which is wrong; and as we attend 
to its manifestations, it speaks peace for obedi- 
ence. This is the operation of the Holj Ghost, 
which is a fire that destroys the chaff. This is 
a baptism of the Holy Ghost, which operates as 
fire against all unrighteousness and ungodliness 
of men, and has been compared to something 
very small. Let us remember the declaration 
of Christ himself: " The kingdom of heaven 
is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man 
took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the 
least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the 
greatest among herbs, so that the birds of the 
air come and lodge in the branches thereof." 

Thus, this principle which reproves for evil, 
though small in its first appearance, if obeyed, 
will increase and grow, until it will overcome 
every vain imagination of the mind, which may 
be compared to the fowls, or inhabitants of the 
air. These birds of the air are those things 
which are of a light and chaffy nature. It will 
bring all these under its branches. It has also 
been likened to a little " leaven which a woman 
took and hid in three measures of meal, until the 
whole was leavened.'^ We all know the nature 



63 

of leaven and of meal, and we know that there 
is in the meal no power of opposition, but it re- 
mains quiet to be operated upon. Here is the 
state I want us all to come into; and then this 
little leaven, which is hid in each, and all of us, 
will begin to perform its operation on us; thus 
bringing us, body, soul, and spirit, into its own 
likeness. 

Now, my fellow professors of this holy name^ 
when we attend to this kind of baptism, which 
is the gospel preached in every creature, we shall 
become more and more fully acquainted with its 
operations; and we shall be more fully sensible 
of the effects which it is calculated to produce 
upon our minds: and we shall be able to add 
our testimony to the declaration, that '* the work 
of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righ- 
teousness is quietness and assurance forever. ^^ 
And 1 want us all to become wilimg to come 
under the influence of this reprover; for if we 
crucify, and will not let this divine principle reign 
over us, we shall become seared, as with a red 
hot iron. Our minds must feel distress, pain, 
and trouble. But if we are willing to come un- 
der the influence of this principle, that wounds 
to heal — and it is the very same principle — hav- 
ing burnt up the chaff, dross, tin, and reprobate 
silver, our minds will be prepared to receive that 



64 

instruction which opens the understanding, and 
enables us to see the mysteries of the kingdom 
of heaven unfolded. Peace will then become 
an inhabitant of the mind, for no fire can burn 
longer than it has combustible matter to act on. 
And when all this is consumed, the operation 
will not be found painful, but pleasing. There 
will be a quiet — a calm, produced in the mind. 
But it is not that calm which we can bring upon 
ourselves. It is not the calm of self-righteous- 
ness, which we may be desiring to indulge, but 
it is an evidence unequivocal; it is an evidence 
derived immediately from the fountain of light 
and life. Here we can wait patiently, and here 
we can come to an understanding of the divine 
nature. 

Now some may be ready to query, what makes 
this so small, and evil so predominant in our na- 
ture? This is another grand delusion of the arch 
enemy of mankind, who deceived our first pa- 
rents. It is the work of a twisting, twining, and 
serpentine imagination, by which he has always 
endeavoured to make truth look like error, and 
falsehood like truth. But, my friends, this prin- 
ciple, in infancy, though pure, is weak, and that 
which leads to evil is not stronger. Yea, it is 
weaker than that which leads to goodness. But 
we are willing, becaui^e of present enjoyment, to 



d5 

indulge our natural affections. We are not wil- 
ling to take up our daily cross and follow him, 
and be governed by the higher and nobler pow- 
ers. Hence these propensities grow with our 
growth, and strengthen with our strength. And 
if that which is good were equally indulged, it 
would grow also, and perhaps more powerfully 
than those evil propensities, which would neces- 
sarily decrease and become weaker. I believCj 
that by a daily obedience to this living principle^ 
there is a state attainable like unto that which 
our Saviour experienced, when he was tempted 
by that same tempter which tempts us. But he 
overcame the tempter because there was nothing 
indulged in his mind, for these evil propensities 
to work upon. And when the tempter said unto 
him, " If thou be the Son of God command that 
these stones be made bread/^ he answered and 
said, " It is written man shall not live by bread 
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of 
the month of God." The bread which we eat 
for the support of these bodies, and for the in- 
dulgence of our natural appetites, ought not (0 
have the pre-eminence over that evidence which 
proceeds from the power of God; and when this 
governing principle has the dominion in our souls, 
it will lead us out of every thing of an inferior 
!iature. This is the principle which has beeisi, 
•I 



66 

described, as a little " leaven which was hid m 
three measures of meal until the whole was lea- 
vened/^ And as it produces these effects upoE 
us, it administers every cup of consolation which 
we need for our nourishment. But we find ao 
room to seek nourishment from any other source, 
because this divine principle of God governs 
every other spirit, and reduces it to subjection. 
Again, *' the devil taketh him up into the holy 
city, and sitteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 
and saith unto him, if thou he the Son of God, 
cast thyself down; for it is written, he shall give 
his angels charge concerning thee, and in their 
hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time 
thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said 
unto him, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt 
the Lord thy God.'^ He had not received a 
manifestation from the Father to do this act. 
He was not about to do any thing of this kind 
on his own responsibility. Thus we ought not 
to indulge our natural feelings which would 
lead us to desire distinction, and to gain a name 
among men. Now kere is a lesson which may 
be instructive; for here we see that he withstood 
the craft of the enemy, who was endeavouring 
to beget in him those dispositions which if in- 
dulged, must necessarily produce the most ruin- 
ous effects. Thus the enemy of man insinuated 



67 

that he had commissioned his angels to take 
charge of him ; and in their hands to bear him 
up, lest at any time he should dash his foot 
against a stone. And I want us all to remember 
that it is necessary for us, not to tempt the Lord 
our God. Again, " the devil taketh him up into 
an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him 
all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory 
of them; and saith unto him, all these things 
will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and wor- 
ship me. Then said Jesus unto him, get thee 
hence satan; for it is written, thou shalt worship 
the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
serve." Here it is, that this tempter which ap- 
peared unto Christ appears unto us also; and he 
not only pretends to preach, but he quotes scrip- 
ture. But blessed be the name of Israel's God, 
that gospel which is essential to salvation, can 
never be preached by men nor devils — It is in- 
ternal, and the medium through which it can be 
conveyed, is no secondary medium. For it pro- 
ceeds immediately from God, and is communi- 
cated immediately to each of our spirits; and 
therefore, it is called " the power of God unto 
salvation, to every one who believes," whether 
Jew or Gentile. And those who believe that 
God has changed these privileges, deprive them- 
selves of this inestimable blessing — the enjoy- 



68 

merit of the third heaven, where there are things 
heard which are not lawful to be uttered. But 
while we are pursuing the gratification of the 
external senses in the performance of outward 
rituals of preaching, praying, and singing, we 
are not in the enjoyment of that which is given 
us from God, but that which our own imagina- 
tions have formed. The evil is one of immense 
magnitude, and I want us to take pattern after 
him, in whom there was no sin, in order that we 
may come into the same state of righteousness, 
into the same divine and living unity, union, and 
communion with the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Then shall we not only be 
raised above every thing of human contrivance, 
but we shall feel no disposition to feed on these 
things. We shall then have no wish to appear 
glorious among men, neither shall we seek to 
have dominion over others; and according to the 
declaration of Christ, we shall be enabled to 
adopt the language which he did — ^'It is writ- 
ten, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shalt thou serve;" and also to take the 
language which he afterwards added, " get thee 
behind me satan, for it is written, thou shalt wor- 
ship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
serve." He was not desirous to set up himself— 
he was not desirous to have a name among men 



69 

— ^he was not seeking for earthly power and do- 
minion, but he was desirous to do the will of him 
that sent him: and hence it was, that he was 
anointed with the oil of gladness, above his fel- 
lows; and hence it was that the declaration was 
made, " Him hath God the Father sealed.'^ Now 
my friends, and fellow professors of this holy 
name, I want you not to attend to the preaching 
of devils, although they quote scripture — and 
although they may appear to your vain imagina- 
tions, to be superlatively seeking the glory of 
God, if they bear not the stamp of the divinity, 
if they are not the workmanship of the finger of 
God, they will produce evil, pain, sorrow, trouble, 
and affliction. And as certainly, as the Mosaic 
law was written on tables of stone, and as cer- 
tainly as that writing was the writing of God 
himself, so are the laws, by which we are to be 
governed, if rightly governed, written upon the 
fleshly tables of the heart, by the same divine 
illimitable power. To which I desire to recom- 
mend you, and not to man, nor to any of his 
works; but "I commend you to God, and to the 
word of his grace, which is able to save your 
souls, and to give you an inheritance among all 
those who are sanctified.^^ 

And, my friends, with respect to preaching, 
when we are thus met together for the solemn 



^0 

purpose of divine worship; I want us all to at- 
tend individually, to what is passing in our own 
minds, and endeavour to receive instruction from 
the fountain of all good, unperverted by men or 
devils; for it will nourish up the soul, and ena- 
ble us to distinguish between good and evil. It 
will prevent us from calling good evil, and evil 
good; and we shall no longer take light for dark- 
ness, and darkness for light, bitter for sweet, 
and sweet for bitter. And here shall we be ena- 
bled to offer ourselves up a living sacrifice, holy 
and acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ. 

And who, or what is Christ? We have been 
induced by perversion of the soriptures, by pre- 
judice, education, and the tradition of men, to 
ascribe the whole of this to an human being; 
and, not looking through the humanity to* the 
divinity, we have been ascribing the whole di- 
vinity to the man Christ Jesus. Here is another 
evil that has led to great confusion; and it will 
always lead to confusion, because, it has not its 
origin in God; but it has its origin in human in 
vention. It had its origin in the darkness of that 
night of apostacy which for ages overspread pro- 
fessing Christendom. A great deal has been 
said about divisions and sub-divisions, about a 
Triune God, distinct persons, and I know not 
what. 



71 

But is Christ divided? Or is God divided? 
No, verily. But as God is one, and his name 
one, so also, I apprehend, that all those who 
come under the influence of his spirit, will be 
partakers of his nature. For the scriptures de- 
clare, "I am God, and there is none else; be- 
side me there is no Saviour.^^ And do we nol 
believe, that this divine essence, whom we call 
God, fills all place and all space? One of the 
inspired penmen confirms this belief when he 
says, *' Whither shall I go from thy spirit.'^ Or 
whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I as- 
cend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make 
my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take 
the wings of the morning, and dwell in the ut- 
termost parts of the sea, even there shall thy 
hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." 
Now that which does not admit of locality, can 
never admit of a division. Do we not see that 
the whole creation was formed by his power, and 
is supported by his wisdom? Certainly, nothing 
short of infinite wisdom could have created the 
least of these things, nor can sustain them for a 
moment. Under this view of the subject — and 
I believe it is a correct one — we know him to 
be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, and 
I want us all to come immediately to him, and 
not view him as being at a great distance and 



beyond the grave. Let us draw nigh unto him 
with full purpose of heart, full of assurance, 
and faith, that we may be instructed of him. 
And we shall then know our hearts to be enlarg- 
ed, and our understandings opened to receive 
divine mysteries, and we shall be nourished 
thereby unto eternal life. 

And in order to have those evil spirits, with 
which many are possessed, cast out, and these 
vain imaginations brought low, it is essential that 
we come under the influence of a spirit of prayer. 
But what is prayer? It is no more a form of 
words than preaching is. If we come under the 
influence of that principle, in which we can call 
God, Father, our supplications will be accept- 
able to him, under the influence of the same 
principle which causes all our prayers to centre 
in this: '' Thy will, and not mine, be done.'^ 

Let us look a little, for instance, at that which 
is termed the Lord's prayer. How many thou- 
sands have bowed down their heads like a bull- 
rush, and lifted up their voice like a trumpet, 
and repeated these words. And can any who 
have not partaken of the divine life, call God, 
Father, and not bring condemnation upon them- 
selves.^ Can any of us say, while ou-r minds are 
impure, " Our Father which art in heaven, hal- 
lowed be thy name/' while, at the same time. 



73 

many of us take his name in vain? Yea, and 
even swear by his name! If ever v^e come to the. 
spirituaHty of this dispensation, v^e shall no longer 
sv^ear by his name, but we shall be brought un- 
der the government of the spirit of truth, in which 
there will be no deception and no lying. It is 
as disgraceful for Christians to swear as to lie, 
for it proves that they are not worthy to be be- 
lieved; it proves that the principles of which we 
are making a profession, have not a tendency to 
lead us unto perfection. In vain, then, is this 
language uttered: ''Our Father which art in 
heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom 
come, thy will be done in earth as it is in hea- 
ven/^ How can we pray for the coming of his 
kingdom, when we will not admit the kingdom 
of heaven into our hearts? " Thy will be done;^^ 
when, at the same time, we are setting up our 
own wills in opposition to the divine will. Is 
not this mockery of God? "Give us this day 
our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, 
as we forgive them that trespass against us/^ 
Can we pray God to forgive us our trespasses^ 
as we forgive those who trespass against us, and 
ask for our daily bread, when w^e are in no de- 
gree dependent on him, having chosen a system 
for ourselves, adopted opinions, and perform ri- 
tuals, and call it worship? It is vain for us to 

K 



74 

€rave daily bread from our heavenly Father., 
while we stand independent of his power, wis- 
dom, and mercy; neither while we are soaring 
above his dominion, can we ascribe it to him or 
say, '' for thine is the kingdom, and the power, 
and the glory, for ever. Amen." 

When thus assembled, it is better for each of 
us, unless immediately required to give a word 
of counsel or caution, or unless there be imme- 
diately given, from the divine fountain of know- 
ledge, a spirit of supplication, we had better sit 
down and wait patiently upon God, that we may 
experience what the divine penman did. " I 
waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined 
unto me and heard my cry. He brought me 
up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry 
clay, and set my foot upon a rock, and establish- 
ed my goings. And he hath put a new song in 
my mouth, even praise unto our God.'^ These 
are the effects of that pure and spiritual righ- 
teousness which proceeds from God, and which 
we can only attain unto through the intervention 
of his divine power. It comes not from man — 
it is not at our command; and blessed be the 
name of IsraeFs God forever, it is neither con- 
fined to time, place, or circumstance. For, "if 
I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if, I 
make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." 



75 

And if we should take the wings of the morning, 
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even 
there would his hand lead us, and his right hand 
would hold us. 

Neither is it necessary, when we are thus as- 
sembled, that we should sing, as it is practised, 
and even required, as a necessary part of wor- 
ship in these assemblies — (not the assemblies 
of this people, but of the generality of Christian 
professors) — saying, let us sing to the praise and 
glory of God, in some psalm or hymn suited to 
the occasion. But how can we sing, while our 
minds are under the bondage of sin, and our souls 
under the government of transgression? I ap- 
prehend there are very few, in an assembly like 
this, or in any other assembly of an equal num- 
ber, who can unite in any one psalm or hymn 
that is commonly sung. Can we say, "Rivers 
of tears run down mine eyes, because they keep 
not thy law,^^ when many of us have not known 
what it was to attend to these feelings of com- 
punction.-^ Can we say, "As the hart panteth 
after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after 
thee, O God," when we have not sufficiently 
come to that state of hungering and thirsting 
after righteousness, in which we can know what 
we say to be fulfilled.^ These performances will 
not do for us, notwithstanding they are the priEr 



76 

cipal dependence of many. How vain is it to 
partake of a little bread and wine, when the true 
communion is come — the divine power is made 
manifest in each of us, even that divine power 
w^hich is the resurrection and the life, unto all 
them that are sanctified. It is vain also to be 
dipped in water; it is vain to be sprinkled; it is 
vain to fulfil these rituals, which can reach only 
to the outward man. For although these out- 
ward elements may cleanse the filth of the flesh, 
they can never cleanse us from one solitary sin 
or lust. 

It may be said that these are used only as 
types and figures by which they acknowledge 
the coming of Christ. But in this do they not 
rather deny than acknowledge his coming? For 
these things were only to continue till the open- 
ing of the new dispensation unto the Jews, when 
all that was figurative in the old dispensation 
was to fall and give way to that which is pure 
and spiritual. Now, the law by which we are 
governed is in accordance with the nature of the 
divine kingdom, which is spiritual, and it acts 
upon our spirits; and there is union, for spirit 
communes with spirit, as bodies commune with 
bodies. We have animal bodies, and, conse- 
quently, we have instinctive faculties, which are 
inseparable from the body. We have also a 



77 

spirit, which is an emanation from the divinity, 
and, consequently, we have spiritual faculties, 
and these are inseparable from the spirit. It is 
by a combination of these faculties that we are 
enabled to compare ideas. And this confers on 
us the powers of speech, and enables us to go to 
great lengths in the arts, sciences, philosophy, 
and a great variety of other subjects which con- 
cern us as men and creatures. But the posses- 
sion of all these rational faculties can never bring 
us to a knowledge of God, because God is a spi- 
rit. But when we learn to have our minds ab- 
stracted from all these lower faculties, when our 
spirits can Wait patiently on God, we shall dis- 
cover him by his own light. And then, and not 
till then, can we worship in spirit and in truth; 
then, and not till then, can we sing praises to 
the honour and glory of God. Remember — and 
I have remembered instructively — how it was 
with Israel of old, when they were encamped 
before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, 
with Pharaoh and the Egyptians behind them, 
and the Red sea before them. There was no 
time then for rejoicing; it was a time of afflic- 
tion. And what was the cpmmand that was 
given.? It was, '' Stand still and see the salvation 
of the Lord." While we feel ourselves in the 
land of bondage, under the dominion of Pharaoh 



78 

and the Egyptian task masters, we cannot sing 
the song of the Lord. They could not sing in 
a stange land, before there was a way made 
through the Red sea; but because of their obe- 
dience, they could rejoice on the banks of deli- 
verance. Then they could sing, not merely as 
a form, but because they had experienced the 
power of God to deliver them from their ene- 
mies. After this, and a variety of other mira- 
cles, they could testify — '* The sea saw it and 
fled; Jordan was driven back. The mountains 
skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.^' 
And they could ask the question — " What ailed 
thee, O thou sea, that thou fledest? Thou Jor- 
dan, that thou wast driven back.'^ Ye mountains 
that ye skipped like rams, and ye little hills like 
lambs?" And in grateful commemoration of the 
Lord's dealings with them they could exclaim — 
*' Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the 
Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 
which turned the rock into a standing water, the 
flint into a fountain of waters." We never can 
sing hi a strange land, as said one of the inspired 
penmen — '' By the rivers of Babylon, there we 
sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered 
Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows 
in the midst thereof For they that carried us 
away captive, required of us a song; and they 



79 

that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, sing 
us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing 
the Lord's song in a strange land. If I forget 
thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her 
cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my 
tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I pre- 
fer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." 

When our minds are brought into that divine 
harmony in which we can make melody unto 
God, we shall experience these feelings, not only 
when we are thus assembled together, but when 
we sit in the house, when we walk by the way, 
when we lie down, and when we rise up. 

O my friends, all that is capable of feeling in 
me this day, is aroused — seeing myself among a 
people who are strangers to me. We are all 
heirs of the same immortality, and fast hasten- 
ing to that bourn from whence no traveller re- 
turns. But blessed be God, we have an advocate 
with the Father, even Jesus Christ, the righteous, 
the Messiah, the Son and sent of the Father^ 
the light and life of God, which was in the be- 
ginning with God. " In the beginning was the 
word, and the word was with God, and the word 
was God. The same was in the beginning with 
God." And he is exercising his mediatorial of- 
fice, not at a distance from us, but in every soul, 
in order to reconcile us to God. 



80 

I desire once more, my friends, to recommend 
you — let your name to religion be what it may — - 
to this divine word. And remember that we 
can neither see with other men^s eyes, hear 
with other men's ears, nor understand with 
other men's hearts; for none can eat for us, nor 
drink for us. We must, therefore, each one 
of us, attend to the manifestations of this liv- 
ing principle, which will make us wise unto 
salvation, (otherwise we shall remain outward 
as they did among the Jews,) and spiritually 
open the bHnd eyes, unstop the deaf ears, heal 
all the maladies of the soul, and raise us from 
the death of sin, to the life of Christ. And 
in whatsoever situation we may be placed, his 
mighty arm will be underneath to support us. 
This will disarm death of its sting, and the grave 
of its victory. It will open unto us when time 
here shall be no more, a mansion of rest, in 
" that city which hath foundations, whose builder 
and maker is God.^^ And finally, brethren and 
sisters, farewell. " Be perfect. Be of good com- 
fort. Be of one mind; live in peace: and the 
God of mercy, and of peace, be with you all. 
Amen.^^ 



SERMON III. 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD, 

HELIVERED AT ROSE STREET MEETING, NEW YORK, 
SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 28tH, 1826. 

Abstract propositions are to the truth, what 
clothing is to the human body. They are not 
its hfe. It is not dependent upon them for its 
existence: for they form no^art of its essence, 
and it is not a partaker of their nature. They 
are a mere covering which the ingenuity of man 
has invented. But truth itself is a hving power 
of divine authority, [t is an operative principle — 
it is God in man. And it is under the influence 
of this divine, this hving, this operative principle, 
if we ever experience worship performed, that 
we must know it — and this we must know, if 
ever we become the sons and daughters of God. 
Abstract propositions respecting truth, can never 
be applied to individuals. They may be applied 
by societies, who desire to have dominion over 
their members; and systems may be formed, 
h 



8^ 

creeds may be introduced, and confessions of 
faith may be forced upon the consciences of the 
people; but all these united, cannot form this 
divine, this living principle. For what authority 
have they? They are a mere covering. Now 
truth needs no covering — it always appears best 
in its own native and naked loveliness. There 
is nothing of which it is ashamed — nothing of 
which it is afraid; for it is guilt and sin which 
produce fear, horror, dread, despair, and every 
feeling in which there is torment. 

Under this view of the subject, my fellow pro- 
fessors of the christian name, I am induced to 
believe, that there are among the professors of 
Christianity generally, many things which have a 
tendency to cover and envelop the truth in 
mists of darkness and garbs of human inven- 
tion; which prevent from coming into that sim- 
plicity, and experiencing the effects of that 
power which stands not in the wisdom of man. 
Is it not obvious to every individual of discre- 
tion, who has arrived at the years of experience, 
that literary attainments, be they ever so high, 
if they are only of general observations — if they 
be not directed to practical subjects, have only 
a tendency to render their . possessors learned 
fools. But to have experience on any particu- 
lar subject, will make a fool into a wise man,. 



83 

Here, then, is the difference between abstract 
propositions, which cannot be apphed to any use- 
ful object, and that experimental knowledge, 
evinced by revelation and reason. I cannot, 
therefore, direct my fellow men and fellow heirs 
of salvation to these external things. Look at 
the various systems with which we are surround- 
ed, and ail derived from what is called, the an- 
cient principles of these societies. Are they not 
most deeply marked with superstition and idol- 
atry? And shall we find any difference in these? 
Do we not observe, that through the various 
creeds of these societies, and the different sys- 
tems which exist, the same profession of belief 
in abstract propositions, has led mankind into 
the adverse of all those feelings which were, in 
their native state, designed to lead them into hap- 
piness? Do we not see that in the performance 
of all the rituals of these societies, though 
morning, evening, and noon, they may pray- — 
though they may be dipped in water, and thijs 
experience all the baptismal influence which 
that external element can give — though they 
may become partakers of the bread and wine, 
as emblematic of the coming of the Lord Jesus 
Christ — though they may preach and pray from 
youth to old age; yet all these things united, can' 
never give a victory over one single, solitary sin 



84 

or lust. But according to the declaration of Je- 
sus Christ himself, the design ot the gospel dis- 
pensation is, to lay the axe to the root of the tree 
— to lay the axe to the root of those dispositions, 
aflfections, and passions, vvhicli separate us from 
God, the source of purity; and from which, evil 
words and actions proceed. And as " the axe 
is laid to the root of the tree, every tree, there- 
fore, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn 
down and cast into the fire." 

I have been instructed in looking over the ac- 
count left in Revelations respecting the frogs. 
'' And I saw," said the divinely eagle-eyed Apos- 
tle, '' three unclean spirits like frogs come out 
of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the 
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the 
false prophet: for they are the spirits of devils 
workifsg miracles, which go forth unto the kings 
of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather 
them to the battle of the great day of God Al- 
mighty/' Whether we are under the influence 
of these misguided and perverted passions, which 
have produced wars, divisions, fightings, wrang- 
lings, and every evil among mankind; or whe- 
ther under the influence of beastly passions and 
propensities; or whether under the influence of 
the false prophet, making a high and empty pro- 
fession of the christian name, it is all one. Not- 



85 

withstanding the difference of their appearance, 
the effects are the same; they are all frogs — all the 
spirits of devils, they are all workers of miracles, 
they can all transform themselves. The first are 
those who have perverted the passions and the 
propensities of nature to the disgrace of human- 
ity, such as the warrior who thirsts after blood, 
and to be covered with glory, by the destruction 
of his fellow man. The second are those who 
are sunk into the gratification of the bestial ap- 
petites; and the third are those who are covering 
themselves with their own deceivings as with a 
garment. Under the influence of this spirit of 
the " false prophet/' they can perform many re- 
ligious works. But these are in a still more 
dangerous situation, inasmuch as they make a 
profession of religion. But, instead of coming 
to the truth, they are covering it with objects of 
their own creation, and abstract propositions; 
and are covering themselves with a false view of 
their own righteousness. ^ 

Here are the transformations of that unwea- 
ried enemy, who has been in operation, since 
the days of our first parents — that twisting, twin- 
ing, circumventing disposition of man, which 
leads into professions of a fair and righteous 
principle. It is of an external nature, and stands 
in a dereliction of our duties to God; and it leads 



to a dereliction of our duties to one another, 
and hepce it is, that many of us are grovelling in 
the very lowest heaven. For, according to ihe 
declaration of the apostle, ^lere are various 
states attainable, *' I knew a man in Christ 
above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, 
I cannot tell; or, whether out of the body, I 
cannot tell: God knoweth,) such an one caught 
up to the third heaven, and heard unspeakable 
wordS; which it is not lawful for a man to utter." 
And what is heaven? It is a state of enjoyment, 
a state in which our hopes of happiness are fixed. 
If we are under the influence of any of these 
debasing passions — if we place our enjoyments 
in them, here we are in the first and lowest hea- 
ven; and thousands there are in this situation. 
And it is also cause of sorrow. Thus many 
who have gone beyond these grovelHng passions, 
and who may be good fathers, good husbands, 
good citizens, and honourable men, may be in- 
flijpnced by those abstract propositions, with 
which they have clothed their own minds. These 
have come into the second heaven — their enjoy- 
ment is in external things: they are in the second 
heaven — they have not yet attained unto the 
third heaven, where the apostle was admitted, 
and where he saw things not lawful to be utter- 
ed. But when we come to be governed by this 



87 

divine illimitable principle, this power of truth 
operating on our own spirits, then, and not till 
then, we are admitted to a view of those sub- 
jects, which no nian could reach by the strength 
of all his reasoning fticulties, because they are 
above the power of human reason, and can 
never be thus attained or comprehended. No 
stream can ever rise higher than its fountain. 
But when we come under the governing influ- 
ence of this baptizing spirit, we shall come into 
communion with God — we shall know him to 
open the blind eyes of our minds, to unstop the 
deaf ears of our understandings, and heal every 
malady of the soul, even to leprosy, and to raise 
us from a death of sin, to a life of God. These 
operations are of a spiritual nature — they are 
not dependent on times and seasons, nor on any 
outward circumstances; 'but on an obedience to 
these manifestations. And it was in this spirit 
and dominion, that Adam in his creation had 
authority over the beasts of the field, over the 
fishes of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, 
over the cattle, and over every creeping thing that 
creepeth upon the earth. And while he con- 
tinued under the influence of this principle, and 
obeved the voice of God's law within himself, 
he continued to have dominion. All these dis- 
positions were subject unto him: but in the 



88 

hour when he chose his own feelings, and to 
pervert those propensities which were given 
unto him, that dominion ceased. All have had 
the same dominion, even evei^ individual of the 
human family; but they have disobeyed the di- 
vine command, from that time forth. And we 
are subject to be governed by the same passions 
as the beasts of the field; and by our vain imagi- 
nations, which may be compared to the fowls of 
the air. We are grovelling like insects that crawl 
on the ground, like fishes that swim in the sea. 

But, my fellow professors of this holy name, 
it is only in the dereliction of our duty to God, 
that we ever can come to this deplorable state. 
I never have viewed it, that we suffer any thing 
from the fall of Adam, for sin is original in every 
soul that sins. There is no use for this proverb: 
" The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the 
children's teeth are set on edge.'' And there 
is another text, which is analogous to this. "I 
have set before thee this day life and good, death 
and evil. I call heaven and earth to record this 
day against you, that I have set before you life 
and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore 
choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.'^ 
Who is it, then, that would be attending merely 
to the outside, to the clothing, by which they 
may have covered an image made to represent 



89 

the truth, instead of coming to this principle which 
is internal, operative, and divine. 

What is man? Is he a mere animal body 
brought into existence to eat, drink, sleep, and 
pass away hke th#dream of a night vision? No. 
Men are compound beings, having animal bo- 
dies, and in accordance with them, instinctive 
faculties; but there is also in man, something of 
the nature of the divinity, something which is 
capable of discerning and comprehending spiri- 
tual truths. As there is something of the nature 
of spirit, there are spiritual faculties also, and 
by the operation of these spiritual faculties upon 
those which are instinctive, reason is produced. 
And it is this combination that confers on us the 
powers of speech and enables us to compare 
ideas, to search and dive far into the arts, sci- 
ences, and philosophy. It enables us to judge 
of many abstruse principles relative to abstract 
propositions and natural things, but it can never 
give us a knowledge of God, because God is a 
spirit. It is by endeavouring to search and find 
out God, that man has fallen below the brute 
creation. But when he comes under the influ- 
ence of this uncombined and living principle, 
which is God in man, or '^ Christ in you the 
hope of glory," it enlarges his understanding. 
And as surely as Jesus performed mighty mira- 

M 



90 

cles on the bodies of certain individuals, so also 
will this perform miracles upon the souls of man- 
kind. It will open the eyes of the mind, unstop 
the deaf ears of the understanding, and heal every 
malady and disease of the souf^ — even to leprosy: 
it will cast out devils and raise from the dead. 
All these miracles are performed by the preach- 
ing of the gospel in every creature, according to 
the declaration of Jesus: "The gospel shall be 
preached in every creature." He declared, '' It 
is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go 
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; 
but if I depart, I will send him unto you, and he 
shall guide you into all truth, and remind you of 
all that I have told you." Here, then, is a plain 
scripture testimony in support of this position. 
Job declared, " There is a spirit in man, and the 
inspiration of the Almighty giveth them under- 
standing." And, said the Apostle, " We know 
that the Son of God is come, and hath given us 
an understanding, that we may know him that 
is true; and we are in him that is true, even in 
his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and 
eternal life. Little children keep yourselves 
from idols." I apprehend that we shall all be 
willing to admit, that through baptism we are 
admitted into Christ, but not through a watery 
dispensation, not by a watery element. For al! 



91 

the waters of the sea applied to the human body, 
could never cleanse the soul of one sin. We 
are trained up in these abstract propositions, 
which have only a tendency to cover the truth 
from our view, feut when we come to the age 
of man and womanhood, and have experienced 
all the vain and impetuous passions of youth; 
when every thing has been sacrificed to the plea- 
sures of sense, then only our eyes begin to open ; 
when old age is about to close voluptuous life, 
and when we have no other sensations than those 
of regret and pain for our profane and dissolute 
lives. It is in this interval of the passions, and 
prelude to the horrors of the grave, that the mind 
and conscience become greatly alarmed, and thus 
poison the last period of our existence. Happy 
if our feeble organs do not reduce our faculties 
to mere animal instinct, nor leave us one vestage 
of a thinking being. How often are these re- 
sults produced? How often do we see an mdi- 
vidual, who has spent the impetuous whirlwind 
of youth in the indulgence of his passions, which 
are constitutionally predominant in that period, 
spend an old age of useless care. Look to the 
works of the outward day. Can we believe that 
an individual, who has spent the morning of his 
days in rioting and idle voluptuousness, can make 
up his day's work in the evening? This is a mo- 



9a 

ral impossibility. And if any of us are putting 
off the day in which we ought to become candi- 
dates to work out our salvation, it is impossible 
for any of these rightly to run the race set before 
them, or overtake their work. 

I remember the day when I was going on in 
the broad way that leads to everlasting destruc- 
tion. I was young in years, my passions violent, 
my will strong, and I rejoiced in my own way. 
I trusted in the declaration of the preacher: *' Re- 
joice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy 
heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and 
walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight 
of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these 
things God will bring thee into judgment." I 
attended to the first part of the declaration, and, 
even at this day, consider it one of the matchless 
mercies of a gracious God that he met with me 
in judgment, that he plucked me as a brand from 
the burning, and that I am yet left, and have 
something of the vigour of youth, strength, and 
manhood. And I am fully convinced, that if I 
had put off these impressions till my passions 
had subsided, as many have done, I should have 
been a cast-away. Their subsiding has not been 
a victory their possessors have gained over them, 
but the want of ability to gratify them longer^ 
that they have become separated from their dar- 



93 

ling lusts, which they have indulged to their pre- 
sent and eternal loss. 

Let us now return again to that gospel which 
is preached baptizingly in every creature. It is 
not all the waters of the sea that can cleanse the 
soul of one single sin or lust. It is not the par- 
taking of bread and wine that can nourish up 
the soul to eternal Hfe. It is not performing a 
round of ceremonies that can be called worship. 
For words are not worship, opinions are not re- 
ligion, and declamation is not gospel. For words 
may be used which convey plain truth, but if not 
applied, and practically applied, it is stealing the 
words of holy men of old who have gone before 
us, or like making images of our own. I want 
you to seek that baptism which is more essen* 
lial and effectual. And as this subject opens 
upon my mind, I have been renewedly instruct- 
ed by the allusion which John made to an an- 
cient prophet, when the priests and Levites were 
sent to inquire ''who art thou.^" Here the Bap- 
tist, after they had enumerated a number of que- 
ries, answered them, " I am the voice of one 
crying in the wilderness^ make straight the way 
of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." 

"Every valley shall be exalted, and every 
mountain and hill shall be made low, and the 
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 



u 

places plain and the glory of the Lord shall 
cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea/' 
Now unto what is that allusion to be applied? 
Not to the undulations of this outward globe; 
but to the dispositions of the human mind. 
Many among us are proud, haughty, headstrong, 
fierce, and cruel: and the design of this baptism 
is, to bring these mountains in our minds, down 
to meekness. There may be many among us 
who are desponding and despairing, and who are 
ready to adopt the language, " Hath God for- 
gotten to be gracious? Is his mercy clean gone 
forever, doth his promise fail for evermore/'' 
These he supports. The administration of this 
baptism has a tendency to raise us up into a state 
of firmness; and when this is the case, our 
crooked and perverse dispositions will be made 
straight, and the rough places plain. When 
these effects are produced in the mind, the glory 
and the knowledge of the Lord will cover and 
overcome every earthly propensity, as the waters 
cover the sea. 

These are the effects produced by the chris- 
tian religion, or the dispensation of the gospel; 
and it operates immediately on each individual; 
not in this, that, or the other society, through sys- 
tematic organization, or through any medium, 
but thjrough the revelation of God, unto the 



95 

souls of men. Therefore, it is essential for each 
of us to come to this principle. And what is 
this baptism? And what is its operation upon 
our minds? It is plain and easily understood, as 
many who have arrived at the years of maturity 
may testify with me, and who have experienced 
sorrow, trouble, confusion, dread, and dismay, 
on the commission of evil thoughts, words, and 
actions. Is there an individual among us, who 
can do that which is wrong, wilfully, and not 
feel compunctions of soul? No, verily. For 
though w^e may, by sinning day after day, and 
week after week, have our c^sciences seared 
as with a red hot iron, yet we all know this pain- 
ful feeling of the fire. We may become seared 
as with a hot iron, so that the part which has 
been touched may loose its vitality, yet under- 
neath there must be life, and there must be a 
feeling of deep distress. So it is, and so it will 
remain, with all those who are disobedient to 
this heavenly vision, and whose consciences have 
been seared as with a red hot iron. And it is 
one of the matchless mercies of God, that he 
does not cast off his people forever, neither does 
he design to '' be always wroth, lest the spirits 
should fail before him, and the souls which he 
has made." 
When we come under the influence of these 



feelings, we shall be made to cry out in agony, 
" Who among us shall dwell with the devour- 
ing fire? Who among us shall dwell with ever- 
lasting burnings?" My friends, no fire can con- 
tinue to burn longer than the combustibles which 
give it nourishment shall endure. When we have 
experienced judgment, and the baptism of the 
Holy Ghost, which operates as fire upon all un- 
righteousness; and when it has performed its 
operation, it ceases to act as fire — it then as- 
sumes another operation. " Who among us 
shall dwell witl^the devouring fire; who among 
us shall dwell vifth everlasting burnings?" We 
are informed in the following text — " He that 
walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he 
that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that 
shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that 
stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and 
shulteth his eyes from seeing evil: He shall 
dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the 
munitions of rocks." The revelation of God 
shall not be affected by any of these combusti- 
ble materials which keep the fire in existence. 
" His place of defence shall be the munitions of 
rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall 
be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king; they 
shall behold the land that is very far off." Here 
is a beautiful description of the effects produced 



97 

by a submission to that fiery baptism which ope- 
rates on every soul, and whether he will hear, or 
forbear, he cannot escape its operation. Whe- 
ther then, is it better, to continue under the feel- 
ings described by this exclamation " who shall 
dwell with everlasting burnings?" or to come 
forth and dwell on high, and to have a place of 
defence, which shall be the munitions of rocks, 
and to experience the blessing of having bread 
given us, and to have our waters sure, and to 
see the king in his beauty, and in the excellency 
of holiness, and behold the land that is very far 
off? Now as we attend to these feelings, pain- 
ful as they are when they have been produced 
by a forgetfulness of God, have they not been 
succeeded by a calm? Have we not been favour- 
ed with a calm, and enabled to '' look upon Zion, 
the city of thy solemnities, thine eyes shall see 
Jerusalem a quiet habitation; a tabernacle that 
shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes 
thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any 
of the cords thereof be broken/^ 

When we sit in our houses, when we walk by 
the way, when we lie down, or when we rise up, 
have we not had introduced into our minds quiet 
and consolation? We have all experienced this 
at one time or another. And what produced 
these feelings? Was it the natural conscience, 

N 



98 

education, h^ibit, tradition, or speculation? No 
verily; these are feelings which do not apply unto 
our own minds. As to conscience, it is the ef- 
fect of education and the power of habit; but 
this divine principle which is preached in the 
soul, the impress of the finger of God, is of an- 
other nature. But under the influence of con- 
science, which is the result of education, there 
is something very different. As some of us can 
look upon one day in seven as a sabbath in which 
we ought not to labour: — but there is another sab- 
bath. And there are those who see every day 
alike. There are those who, under the influence 
of these systeujatic notions of religion, believe 
that all men can be saved, others that they luill 
be saved, and others that none but the elect will 
be saved. It is this external and conscientious 
religion which is the result of education and tra- 
dition, that is the means of introducing all the 
absurdities and discordancy of opinions among 
mankind. But if we ever come to be followers 
of Christ in the regeneration, we must walk as 
he walked, we must mind the same thing, we 
must follow the same living and eternal principle 
that he followed, when in that prepared body in 
which he came to do his Father's will. Here I 
want us all to come — to this baptism of the Holy 
Ghost which reproves for evil. It is that which 



99 

not only brings peace of mind, but in these the 
power of the understanding is even opened for the 
reception of divine truths. Even through the 
medium of this cometh this quiet, this peaceful 
habitation. And here the scriptures appear in a 
precious point of view to us, containing practical 
truths illustrated in our own experience. And 
this bears testimony against all that is wicked 
and all that is unrighteous. But it takes no cog- 
nizance of these abstract propositions, — no cog- 
nizance of external actions, as such. " Ye have 
heard that it hath been said by them of old time, 
thou ^halt love thy neighbour and hate thine ene- 
my. But I say unto you love your enemies, 
bless them that curse you, do good to them that 
hate you, and pray for them which despitefully 
use you and persecute you." " Ye have heard 
it said, thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall 
kill, shall die the death.'' There were other of- 
fences committed^ which were amenable to the 
law. But in the precepts of Jesus none of these 
laws are recognized, because the dispositions 
which produce evil actions are to be rooted out. 
There is one passage of scripture which I 
have often looked upon as more pointed than 
any other, and more deeply instructive. " Ye 
have heard that it was said by them of old time, 
thou shalt not commit adultery; and any man 



100 

that committeth adultery let him die the death/' 
Here is an offence, and a punishment adequate 
to the offence. ' But what said Jesus? ''But I 
say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman 
to lust after her, hath committed aduhery with 
her ah-eady in his heart." Here is a law which 
strikes at the root of the inchnations, dispositions, 
and passions, from whence the effects proceed. 
And when we can remove the cause, the effects 
will cease; and so it is with every other evil dis- 
position of the human mind. 

It is not mere abstract propositions than can 
do any thing for individuals or nations. It is 
the duty of each one to come under the influence 
of that gospel which is preached in every crea- 
ture. There is not any thing performed for us 
by any external act or evidence. It is not by 
that act of unparalleled malignity in the Jews, 
by which they crucified a righteous person, that 
we are ever to experience salvation. I have no 
hope of salvation by the death of Jesus Christ, 
or by the blood shed without the gates of Jeru- 
salem. I have hope and faith in the blood of 
Jesus Christ. But what is Christ's blood .^ It is 
his life. **• Behold, a virgin shall conceive and 
shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his 
name Emmanuel,which being interpreted, is God 
with us." Now, if w^e ever experience salvation 



101 

by Christ, it will not be by his death, but by his 
life, and by the power of that resurrection which 
nonrisheth up the soul unto eternal life. Neither 
need we go to bread and wine for this nourish- 
ment; but when we come under the baptismal 
influence of that holy spirit which teaches us 
baptizingly, the gospel which is preached in 
every creature, then we shall come to know what 
is meant by that declaration, that we shall be 
saved by his blood. For what is blood? It is the 
life, (and we have scripture testimony for the 
assertion,) the circulating medium which gives 
vitality to the whole system, as it flows and circu- 
lates through every part of the human body; so 
the life of Christ, operating on the whole mental 
and spiritual system, we become partakers of the 
same nature and the same life. And here is 
fulfilled a saying of Jesus, in a supplication for 
his followers: " That they all may be one, as 
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they 
also may be one in us." These he is not asham- 
ed to call his brethren, because they are begotten 
by the same power, nourished up by the same 
light, and have the same life circulating through 
the whole soul. And hence our thoughts, words^ 
and actions, are in accordance therewith. And 
thus we experience, that our souls have heard 
'•another mighty angel fly through the midst of 



102 

heaven, having the everlasing gospel to preach 
to them that dwell on the earth, and to every 
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, — 
saying, with a loud voice, fear God and give 
glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is 
come. And worship him that made heaven, and 
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters/^ 
Now, my friends; where are the abstract propo- 
sitions? They are not of this building. They 
tend to the ruin and destruction of mankind. 
They cannot bring under the influence of this 
preaching, for such propositions have no part in 
the operations of the spirit of truth, in which we 
can alone hear the angel, "saying, with a loud 
voice, fear God and give glory to him, for the 
hour of his judgment is come. And worship 
him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, 
and the fountains of w^aters.'' These are come 
into the third heaven, where they hear things not 
lawful to be uttered, and hold communion with 
God the Father, through the spirit of his Son, 
and have all things made manifest in their view. 
They shall know the seals to be opened of that 
book which is sealed with seven seals: as many 
have known what it was to weep much, because 
no man was found worthy to open and to read 
the book, neither to look thereon. But by at- 
tending to^ these manifestations of the divine 



103 

power, they will experience the seals to be bro- 
ken open in proper order; and as they are pre- 
pared for the reception of divine truths, they will 
be manifested unto them. " For the lion of the 
tribe of Juda, the root of David, the bright and 
morning star, hath prevailed to open the book, 
and to loose the seven seals thereof And thus 
we come to the fulfilment of the prophecies re- 
specting him. And thus we shall know the de- 
claration fulfilled, as declared by Moses: "A 
prophet will the Lord thy God raise up unto 
thee, from the midst of thy brethren, like unto 
me; unto him ye shall hearken.^' And it was 
declared, that "whoso will not hear that prophet 
shall be cut off from among his people.^' And, 
notwithstanding he was greater than Moses, and 
greater than the people, he was obedient unto 
this law. And unto this law we must come, if 
we would ever be partakers of that kingdom 
which Christ has declared is within you. It is 
there we must look for its influence. It is there 
that we are to know him to rule as with a rod 
of iron. And there we are to know fulfilled the 
declaration: " Thy throne, O God, is forever and 
ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of 
thy kingdom."^ 

Here we see, my fellow professors of this holy 
name, the revelation of Jesus Christ upon which 



104 

the true church is built. We may look to every 
evidence which is of an external nature; — we 
may look into the opinions of men, and into all 
the variety of ouUvard acts and circumstances 
which have an existence in society; — we may be 
placing our dependence on the acts of our prede- 
cessors; — but we may as well endeavour to be 
nourished by the food which they ate — to see 
with their eyes, to hear with their ears, to un- 
derstand with their hearts, as to be converted 
by their experience. If we ever come to know 
this kingdom come, it must be by the spirit of 
judgment and burning, by the gospel preached 
in every creature. It must proceed froni '' Christ 
in you, the hope of glory." As God hath said, 
"I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I 
will be their God, and they shall be my people." 
It is in vain for us to be contending about doc- 
trines and principles — about uniting or dividing 
the divinity. This can never bring us to dwell 
in the third heaven; and many numerical errors 
cannot constitute a theological truth; but error 
is error still. The God whom we worship is 
not local. He is not to be divided, for he fills all 
place and all space. And one of the inspired 
penmen was sensible of this, when he cried out 
" Whither shall I go from thy spirit.^ Or whither 
shall I flee from thy presence.^ If I ascend up 



105 

into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed 
in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the 
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost 
parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead 
me, and thy right hand shall hold me."' Nei- 
ther need we look for heaven at a great distance 
and beyond the grave: we must look for the 
coming of the kingdom in ourselves: for it dwell- 
eth with you and shall be in you. And as his 
own kingdom comes to be governed by his own 
laws, we shall come into the divine compact and 
harmony: we shall come to be his children. 
Then we shall be no longer under the spirit of 
bondage, because our guilt being removed, we 
shall receive the spirit of adoption, whereby we 
can cry Abba, Father. And we shall not be so 
much concerned to bow down tlie head like a 
bullrush, or lift up the voice like a trumpet, 
and call it prayer; but we can accord with 
the prayer of Jesus Christ — we can call God 
Father, because we are begotten into his life. 
Therefore, we can say, without robbery or 
mockery, "Our Father, which art in heaven;" 
and because we shall be endeavouring to do his 
will — " hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, 
thy will be done in earth, as it is done in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread.'" We can 
adopt this language, because we shall not be de- 



106 

pending on abstract propositions; we shall not 
be indulging in any of these things; but we shall 
be nourished by a daily dependence on the will of 
God. We can say, " Forgive us our trespasses as 
we forgive those who trespass against us;^^ be- 
cause wherever the spirit of God is, there is love 
and good will to men; and no contentions shall 
divide the hearts of these. Therefore, we shall 
be able to love our enemies, to pray for them 
that despitefully use us, and persecute us. Here 
we can ascribe *' glory and honour, forever. 
Amen." When we come into the spirit of pray er^ 
and not into the literal meaning of words, we 
shall know him, who is the resurrection and the 
life, to govern all our spirits and minds. And 
therefore the whole line of our conduct will be 
in accordance with this language, whether we 
express it or not. Here we shall not be depend- 
ing upon the observance of days and times, any 
more than on external performances. Here we 
shall come into a state in which we can declare, 
that we saw an angel standing, as John said, with 
one foot upon the earth — that is, above every 
earthly propensity — and another upon the sea; 
for we shall be placed above all the fluctuating 
opinions comparable to that unstable element. 
And he " saw a mighty angel stand with one foot 
upon the sea, and the other upon the earth, and 
he lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by 



107 

him that liveth forever and ever, that there should 
be tiaie no longer." When we come under the 
influence of this principle, we shall see this an- 
gel and hear his voice. We shall be brought 
into that state, in which life or death, riches 
or poverty, sickness or health, will all be matters 
of indifference to us, and very small things in our 
view. Our whole hopes of happiness will centre 
in him who is the life of the righteous; and we 
can say, "thy will, and not mine be done." 
There will be no contention, no speculation, no 
doubting, but his law will be written in our souls, 
and enable us to fulfil every divine requisition. 
This is the new covenant spoken of " And after 
those days, I will make a new covenant with 
the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. 
Not according to the covenant that I made with 
their fathers, in the day that I took them by the 
hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; 
which my covenant they brake, although I was 
an husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this 
shall be the covenant that I will make with the 
house of Israel; nfter those days, saith the 
Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, 
and write it in their hearts; and I will be their 
God, and they shall be my people/' It is only 
to that people this covenant was new: for the 
Gentiles, of which race we are, have known no 
other covenant. 



108 

Look at the excellency of this dispensation. 
When we draw nigh to God, there is union and 
communion; there is none to divide in Jacob, 
or to scatter in Israel. When our minds come 
into this state, and even while progressing 
thereto, our minds will not be left without an 
internal evidence — the scriptures will afford cor- 
roborative evidence; and then we shall be able ta 
look upon these, not merely as books created for 
our use. We shall see the writing of God in 
every thing that sprrounds us. Not a leaf that 
falls to the ground, nor the vilest insect that we 
tread upon, but would convey a lesson of instruc- 
tion; and these lessons of instruction would not 
become perverted, or raised above their proper 
value. The scriptures would be considered, as 
they ought to be, the testimony of holy men of 
old. And when we come under the same di- 
vine influence which dictated to them, they 
would become unto us "profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness, that we through patience and 
comfort of the scriptures might have hope.'^ And 
not only so, but in every other external object, 
we should see daily cause to glorify God, be- 
cause of the nmltitude of his mercies. " Day unto 
day uttereth speech, and night unto night show- 
elh knowledge. There is no nation, nor lan- 
guage, where their voice is not heard." 



SERMON IV. 
BY ELIAS HICKS. 

DELIVERED, (IMMEDIATELY AFTEK THE PRECED- 
IJfG DISCOURSE BY THOMAS WETHERAXD,) AT 
ROSE STREET MEETING, N. Y., MAY 28tH, 1826. 

" Honesty is the best policy." This is an 
old and a very true saying; but I know of no 
word in our language which has been more flat- 
tered, more cajoled, and more abused than this 
term. For all seem ready and willing to ac- 
knowledge the fact, but where is there a man 
or a woman willing to comply with its contents, 
and practically and operatively become truly ho- 
nest men and women? Can we find any? And 
yet it is not only acknowledged, and every man 
and woman will find it in their own experience 
to be an eternal and immutable truth, yet after 
all, how very few are willing to comply with its 
reality. Now this honesty is an ingredient that 
we must have in every thing that is good; for we 
cannot profit by any thing without honesty. We 
hear a great many excellent and plain truths de- 



110 

clared to us^but it is only the honest and upright 
in heart that will pn^fit by them. If we were 
Willi nir to make a right use of them, they would 
brinir things home to our own minds, and we 
could test our conduct by them. And yet, as I 
have observed, we acknowledge the truth, and 
shall be obliged, by our own experience, to ac- 
knowledge that it is truth, and the best thing for 
us. And I will appeal to every disposition and 
condition present for the assurance of these 
things. And I will begin with the lowest grade, 
for they have as sure evidence of this truth as 
any man can have; and they never can arrest its 
force, for their own experience will testify to it 
continually. It will be so with every condition 
and with every state; and were we all concerned 
to be honest and truly upright, it would not only 
tend to bring about a conversion and reforma- 
tion in every individual of us, but it would bring 
us into unity together, and, as it were, compel 
us to love one another. There is nothing like 
justice to induce love between man and man. 
It would so regulate our whole lives, and it would 
so regulate all our conduct, that we never could; 
through any medium whatever, receive any thing 
from a fellow creature without an equal reward 
for it. It would keep our minds in a continual 
state of watchfulness. Its tendency would be 



Ill 

to lead us to love our neighbours as ourselves.; 
and therefore we could not take a bribe, — we 
never could take any thing as a reward for any 
labour or work which we do, that should exceed 
its true value. Here, not only would all our 
moral conduct be regulated toward one another, 
but it would produce a confidence in one another 
— a confidence that could not be shaken; — we 
should depend on one another as on ourselves. 
It would put an end to all hirelings. Whether 
in matters of a moral nature, or of a religious 
character, none could receive any pay for that 
which was not worth what was received. 

Every man and woman would stand on the 
right ground, and it would be owing to that prin- 
ciple of which we have heard so much expressed; 
and this would lead our attention up to it as our 
rule of faith and practice. I say none of us 
could receive a reward beyond its true worth. 
It would be impossible, then, that there should 
be any hirelings, in a religious sense — no one 
that could be considered as a true gospel minis- 
ter. It would be impossible for them to receive 
any reward for preaching the gospel. Because 
why.^ None can preach the gospel, none can dis- 
pense of its power and excellency, but in the 
same proportion as it is given to them. And it 



1!^ 

is given for the only purpose, that they should 
dispense it to their fellow creatures. 

Under the law, when they made their offer- 
ings, the priests had a share in them, and they 
partook with the people in the use of them; so 
we should understand the declaration of the 
apostle Paul: " If any preach the gospel, let them 
live of the gospel." But it is not the natural 
and animal life that is to be supported by the 
gospel. There is another medium appointed by 
the Most High from the beginning. He has, in 
the depths of wisdom, appointed how we shall 
provide for these animal bodies. And there is 
no preference among the children of men con- 
cerning it; they are all upon the same ground. 
For, " by the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat 
bread.^^ And every man and woman must la- 
bour for their own living. They have no right 
to depend on one another, but on the Almighty, 
who will bless us when we are worthy of it. 

But with respect to the gospel, that food only 
which can nourish the immortal soul, man, by 
all his labour, can never provide any thing for 
it. With all his exertions, all his science and 
learning, he never can find one drop which will 
be consolatory to the soul. It must all come 
from the hand of Almighty goodness. It must 
first be handed to us as his stewards. And when 



113 

he raises any up and sends them out to preach 
the gospel, they will dispense it freely; as the dis- 
ciples of Jesus did, when he sent them out, in an 
external way, to relieve the external bodies of 
the children of men, and to do those miracles 
that he commanded them to do. They were to 
do it freely, as it was communicated unto them. 
For they did not derive that power from any 
ability they had in themselves, or from any ex- 
ertion which they could make, as men and crea- 
tures. It was by their depending on God that 
they were enabled to do these mighty miracles. 
" Freely ye have received, freely give.''^ As ye 
have received this power freely, freely dispense 
it unto the people. And so it is in a spiritual 
sense ; for as those outward miracles only had 
relation to the outward senses, they enabled them 
to receive the blessings of the outward good land. 
Therefore all their external bodily diseases were 
healed, and all those who believed were prepared 
to receive benefits. But these were nothing but 
figurative representations of what is to be brought 
about under the gospel dispensation, where the 
soul is the principal object of care and concern; 
and, therefore, Jesus commanded his disciples to 
tarry at Jerusalem till they should receive power 
from on high. For he assured them that it was 
expedient for him to go away. It was a great 
p 



114 

comfort, no doubt, and satisfaction to them,— 
this display of his power in outward things. 
They would wish the dispensation to continue. 
This is clear from what took place in the mount 
of transfiguration, when Jesus was transfigured 
before Peter and his brethren. " And, behold^ 
there appeared unto them Moses and Elias taflc- 
ing with him. Then answered Peter, and said 
unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if 
thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: 
one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for 
Elias;" — not knowing what he said. And just 
so it is with every one who is led by abstract 
doctrines and principles: they know not what 
they do nor say. " And while he yet spake, be-^ 
hold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And 
behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, this 
is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; 
hear ye him.^' And immediately Moses and 
Elias vanished. This was shown to Peter to 
teach him that the end of that dispensation was 
drawing near, when all the rituals, and ceremo- 
nies, and statutes, which were declared not to 
be good, but whi^h were given unto them in 
their dark and benighted state, were to pass away^ 
and to be left behind. 

So Jesus, when he was about to take leave of 
his followers, showed to them, in the most clear 



115 

and conclusive manner, that they must give him 
up — that he must go away, — if he did not the 
Comforter vi^ould not come unto them. For 
there is nothing of an external nature, which 
ever did or ever can reheve or comfort the soul. 
There is no kind of analogy between matter 
and spirit; therefore, nothing which is external 
can add any thing to the soul. It neither heals 
its diseases, nor comforts its sorrows. And see- 
ing their sorrow, he tells them — for having ad- 
monished them that he should by and by be 
taken from them, it was a great disappointment 
which caused sorrow — he therefore recapitula- 
ted it to them, " Because I have told you these 
things, sorrow hath filled your hearts. Never- 
theless, I tell you the truth ; it is expedient for 
you, that I go away! for if I go not away, the 
Comforter will not come unto you; but if I de- 
part, I will send him unto you.^^"* Now these 
few words spoke great things; for if they believ- 
ed them to be truth, and took them in a proper 
sense, they must have been satisfied, that unless 
he went away the Comforter could not come. 
And if there was a comforter that should come 
and they should look back to the outward dis- 
pensation, then they would lose the benefit of 
the inward Comforter, and their attention would 



m 



no 

become divided. And here is a door, at whicfe 
apostacy has often entered. 

This command was at his last interview with 
them. " Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, un- 
til ye be endued with power from on high; foe 
ye shall receive it^ when the tloly Ghost shall 
come upon you,^^ and then, and not till then, can 
any of us bear testimony of the righteous work, 
life, and power of Christ. For what he was then 
outwardly doing, his heavenly Father, through 
the great Comforter, is doing in this gospel day, 
to all true believers. For as none were healed 
of their outward diseases while Jesus was with 
them, in his external manifestation, but those 
who believed in him ; so can none under the gos- 
pel dispensation know the maladies of the soul 
to be healed, till they place their whole belief in 
this Comforter — this spirit which Jesus told them 
they were to look for, and where they were to 
find it, and to know its power. And to assure 
them of it, he tells them that it should " abide 
with them forever; even the spirit of truth — it 
shall dwell with you, and be in you: and when 
he Cometh, he shall reprove the world of sin.^' 
What an excellent truth is here opened to us — 
it is a plain self-evident truth, which every ra- 
tional soul under heaven can understand; and 
yet how few there are, who realize it as it is<. 



W 



117 

" When he cometh he shall reprove the world 
of sin." And it is not only to the few that I will 
appeal, but to every one present; for high and 
low, rich and poor, may all be benefited by it: 
even the thief and liar know this truth in their 
own experience, that he is a reprover, an un- 
changeable reprover; for he dwelleth in us all, 
and reproves the world of sin, and of righteous- 
ness, and of judgment. 

Who would not, my friends, believe in this 
Comforter, seeing that he never fails to speak 
truth to our conditions, however we may s^ek 
to disregard it, and enrich ourselves by disho- 
nesty, stealing, extortion, and taking the advan- 
tage of the weak and credulous, as we see so 
abundantly practised in the present day. And 
why do we not believe that which convicts us, 
and tells us what is wright, and what is wrong? 
When we submit to its teaching, and to the ope- 
rations of reproof, and turn from the evil of our 
ways, unto that which is good, — here we shall 
witness, that " honesty is the best policy.^"* 

I have felt my mind engaged to add a little to 
the communication of my beloved brother, and 
it is my desire that we may profit by every such 
opportunity as this; and that we may rightly pro- 
fit, we ought to begin at home. It is a great and 
excellent gift, my friends, which we have stamp- 



118 

ed upon our minds, by the almighty and benevo- 
lent Creator — an immortal desire after happi- 
ness — a desire that nothing mortal can ever 
satiate. But hovir our judgments are deceived, 
to seek happiness for an immortal part, in tem- 
poral and mortal things! How little the experi- 
ence of others in the truth, in past ages, is worth 
to us while we stand aloof from this principle 
and reprover in our own souls. The wise man 
has shown us the foolishness of all this world's 
vanities and glory; for he undertook in his wis- 
dom and power — for I apprehend there has 
scarcely ever been a great man on earth, who was 
a more potent prince and ruler — he undertook to 
find satisfaction in the things of time. He had 
all that this world could communicate, and all 
that man could receive from without, to obtain 
happiness. He enjoyed immense temporal bless- 
ings, such as riches, honour, and power. But 
they all failed. 

Here we learn that the soul is immortal, and 
that nothing but immortality can satisfy its de- 
sires. This is proved by the experience of others 
and by our own experience from day to day. 
Solomon after all his riches, and honour, and 
labour, and toil, wound up in this, " Vanity of 
vanities, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.^' 
'*Fear God, and keep his commandments 5 foj? 



119 

this is the whole duty of man/^ But how are 
we to be led into this, and how are we to be 
instructed in the true fear of God? We never 
shall do it, but as we gather to the reprover in 
our own souls. There is nothing but this prin- 
ciple, this Immanuel, God in man, that can ever 
give us a true knowledge of God. There is no 
outward declaration, or external evidence, how- 
ever great — not all the books, doctrines, and ex- 
ternal evidence ever manifested upon the face 
of the earth, which can ever give us a know- 
ledge of God, or make a true christian. To be 
a true christian, we must be a child of God. He 
and she only, who are in Christ, are christians, 
and therefore, new creatures: and to be new 
creatures they must receive a new birth. We 
cannot see the kingdom of God, till we are born 
again of God; because nothing can be a son of 
God, but spirit — nothing can be a son of God, 
but that which is itself spirit. Therefore it is, 
that nothing but the soul — the immortal soul of 
man, can be a recipient for the spirit of God, 
and it is only that, which can lead us to w6r* 
ship God in spirit and in truth. 

My desire and my solicitude were excited in 
behalf of this assembly, seeing the Lord has 
been greatly pleased to favour us in meeting to^ 
gether, that we might be individually concernedj 



120 

to improve by his mercy and benevolence. For 
he has regard to his real children, the world 
over, and he is not ashamed to repeat his calls 
and petitions from day to day, and, with many, 
from hour to hour. 

In reproving us he shows us the infiniteness 
of his wisdom; and, in ordering all things, he 
has so constructed us, that every act of our lives 
has its own reward in it. I will appeal to you, 
my friends, whether every act has not its conse- 
quent reward — let it be good or evil. Here is 
infiniteness of wisdom and of order, to establish 
in our minds that he is a God of order, and of 
knowledge, and that by him all our actions are 
weighed; and he ever makes them known to us. 
But until we believe in this inward teacher, this 
inward manifestation, the spirit of truth, the Com- 
forter, that Jesus said the Father would send in 
his name, we shall not derive the benefits in- 
tended for us. 

Now, what is the name of Jesus? It is not 
that which is composed of vain letters; but it is 
the power of God — that which was displayed in 
and through Jesus Christ, in the flesh: his name 
is that power. It is the same power of his hea- 
venly Father, by which he was enabled to cleanse 
and purify the bodies of the Israelites, not with 
water, or with any outward element. It was 
Dot with outward water, but by the power of the 



121 

holy one, that he cleansed the lepers, opened the 
eyes of the blind, and unstopped the deaf ears. 
And the very same power which acted in him, and 
enabled him to finish the work, and become the 
top stone, is the same power communicated to 
every rational soul under heaven. And this is 
the new covenant dispensation. It was a new 
covenant (o the Jewish people, and not to any 
other nation on earth, for the Lord never made 
any other covenant, but with the Jews. The 
covenant which he made with our first parents, 
formerly, has been continued to all the nations 
of the earth. This Comforter has been with 
them, and it has been preached from the earliest 
ages. He did come and was ever with the 
children of men in all ages, as a reprover for sin 
and a justifier for righteousness. Therefore all 
are called, Jew and Gentile, by this unchange- 
able principle of light, life, and power, in the 
soul — that Comforter which was to be sent by the 
Father, to his disciples. " Tarry ye at Jerusa- 
lem, for ye shall receive power when the Holy 
Ghost is come upon you,^' and then, but not till 
then, ye shall testify unto all nations. We have 
no evidence that any minister of the gospel can 
go forth, as such, till the Holy Ghost has sancti- 
fied and prepared them: and they must depend 
on it in every step they take, as it was declared^ 
^ ct 



122 

that Jesus should, when he came, receive all 
from the Father — "A prophet shall the Lord 
your God raise up unto you of your brethren, 
like unto me; him shall ye hear/' How beau- 
tifully he fulfilled the declaration of his heavenly 
Father. We do not read that he ever did any 
act without commission immediately from his 
Father. Even so now, under the gospel dispen- 
sation, those who wait as they ought to do, in a 
state of self abasement, are brought to know 
every outward dependence taken away; as it was 
with the disciples. Their whole dependence was 
on Jesus, but he assured them that he must go 
away, and that they must give up that depend- 
ence. They were left in a state of suspense, 
as we must learn in reading these passages, and 
when he was gone, they had no where to look — 
they were to wait in humble silence — they were 
to wait on God. He could not tell them how long: 
for he told them that the times and the seasons, 
the Father had kept in his own power. He had 
no authority of this kind, because it was neces- 
sary, that they should be left in such a state of 
suspense, that they should have nothing to look 
to, but that self should be entirely debased, into 
a state of nothingness: as be told them, with- 
out this power — '' without me, you can do no- 
thing." So as they obeyed this command, they 



123 

found that they were naked, and could do nothing 
till the spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost descended 
upon them ; and then it was, as he had said, they 
could bear witness unto him, both in Jerusalem, 
and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the 
uttermost parts of the earth. But see how slow 
the disciples were to understand these things. 
They had to wait and continue under the influ- 
ence of this spirit; and yet, through the power 
of education and tradition, they felt no liberty 
to go to those of another name, though they had 
been told so clearly what to do, and that when they 
felt this power to operate on their minds, it would 
open and extend their hearts to all nations, and 
not only to the Jews, their own brethren, who had 
been so partial as to suppose that they only were 
to be saved, as is the case in our own day with 
some predestinarians. And thus they cast the 
greatest indignity on the Supreme Being, the 
merciful Jehovah. Yet we find it was eight 
years after the descending of the Holy Ghost 
upon the disciples, and that they had entered on 
their mission of gospel ministers, before they 
could break through the traditions of their fa- 
thers, so that they could go to the houses of the 
Gentiles, to commune with them, upon gospel 
terms. But I need not repeat much of that 
matter. You recollect the vision that Peter had. 



"^(M^ 



I?- 



184 

when at the house of Simon the tanner. They 
had depended so much on outward miracles that 
he condescended to give this evidence, and this 
was the weakest evidence that he ever conde- 
scended to make use of, but they could not in that 
weak state, see fully into the gospel dispensation. 
Now when Peter got to the house of Corne- 
lius, and when through the operation of the power 
which he had received, and which truly cost him 
nothing, for they who preach the gospel live by 
the gospel. Here their souls were fed and com- 
forted. Here he partook of the gospel with 
them. And as they who preach the gospel live 
of the gospel, it was good to his soul; and that 
which was good to his soul, was communicated 
to them, because, through the efficacy of the 
doctine which he preached under the influence 
of this holy spirit, they w^ere brought to believe 
in the witness for God in their own souls. This 
witness was raised in them: by the light of God 
which shone into their minds, their inward eye 
was opened, and they were baptized together in 
the holy spirit. And so it would be at this day 
if we were honest, — if we were open to receive 
divine instruction. At such seasons as this, if 
our minds were sufficiently turned inward and 
placed upon the Comforter, which is only known 
within, how his power would prevail. We should 



r 



125 

be brought together and made to rejoice together, 
and we should sit down together in heavenly 
places, were we only faithful to the manifestation 
of truth in our souls. 

Therefore, without adding many words, I have 
felt my mind inclined to impart these things, that 
we may honestly apply what we have heard to 
our own selves; that we may consider the great 
importance of being honest to God and to our- 
selves. God is in man, and speabs with power 
to our souls, and thus this reprover would show 
us our transgressions; and if we would fall down 
and acknowledge them and pray for mercy, he 
would grant it, and thus we should be able to 
fulfil the requisition of the prophet: "Cease to 
do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve 
the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the 
widow. '^ Then, and not till then, can we come 
into this state of open intercourse, and be admit- 
ted into the presence of the Most High. " Come 
now and let us reason together, saith the Lord; 
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, 
they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obe- 
dient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if 
ye refuse and rebel/' death shall be your portion. 



# 



SERMON V. 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD. 

DELIVERED AT HESTER STREET MEETING, NEW- 
YORK, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 28tH, 1826. 

An investigation of what is truth, leads to a 
detection and exposition of error. But in order 
to produce these effects, it is necessary that the in- 
vestigation be conducted on principles in accord- 
ance with the nature of the subject to be inves- 
tigated. Mechanical truths must be investigated 
and proved upon mechanical principles; mathe- 
matical truths must be proved according to ma- 
thematical principles; and spiritual truths must 
be spiritually proved. 

Now it is not in the nature of any thing, which 
stands not immediately in the revelation of God, 
manifested unto man, to enable us to pursue-this 
investigation, so as to produce these results; for 
this revelation is the alone medium whereby we 
can come to a comprehension of God and of spi- 
ritual truths. As to matters of opinion, belief, 



128 

and systems of religion, they are the works of 
man; and if necessary to appeal unto these, I 
apprehend that I could unite in belief with al- 
most all the members of the various religious 
societies. I could believe that there is no sal- 
vation out of the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic 
Church. I could, with the Episcopalian, " be- 
lieve in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only 
Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, bom of the virgin Mary, suffered under 
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;" 
but that he descended into hell, I dare not be- 
lieve, because he declared to the thief on the 
cross, " To day shalt thou be with me in para- 
dise.^^ I can, with those who adopt the Calvi- 
nistic platform, beHeve that only the elect are 
saved. I can believe, with some of the Baptists, 
that baptism is essential to salvation. With Ar- 
minius, that all men may be saved. And I can 
believe, with the Q^uakers, that " the grace of 
God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared 
unto all men, teaching us that, denying ungod- 
liness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly in this present world, look- 
ing for that blessed hope, and the glorious ap- 
pearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ." ^' 



129 

And whf^re are we to look for th'?» appearing? 
Are we to go back to John's time, and to view 
the outward advent? or are we to take a view of 
him through the me iiim of the scriptures? No, 
verily; for these are irrelevant unto us: we can- 
not apply these things which are recorded as 
facts, either as societies or as individuals. But 
there is a declaration, that what is to be known 
of God is manifested in man; and the reason for 
this is obvious, for God hath shown it unto him. 
Here, then, is a medium for the investigation of 
spiritual truths. And now with respect to the 
holy, catholic, and apostolic church. I appre- 
hend that this title can be attributed to no sect 
or party of Christians, but to those who are guid- 
ed by a holy, catholic, and apostolic spirit; that 
holy, catholic, and apostolic spirit which influ- 
enced the immediate followers of Jesus Christ; 
a spirit of obedience unto every manifestation of 
our heavenly Father's will. These only can be 
saved. It is in this view of the subject that I 
can unite in the belief. And I can believe with 
the Episcopalians in God, the Father Almighty, 
Maker of heaven and earth, because I never 
doubted his creative wisdom, nor his governing 
mercy. I never doubted his omniscience, his 
omnipotence, nor his omnipresence. And f can 
believe in Jesus Christ our Lord; but this belief 

E 



130 

is not merely confined to his outward advent, for 
I believe in the scripture declaration, that he was 
from everlasting to everlasting. There was a 
time when, on account of the hardness of the 
hearts of his people, God gave them statutes that 
were not good, and judgments whereby they 
should not live; but these were designed as a 
schoolmaster to bring them unto Christ. " Moses 
was faithful in all his house as a servant, but 
Jesus Christ as a son over his own house, whose 
house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and 
the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.'^ 
And as we come into this state of sonship, we 
become the sons of God. " For ye have not re- 
ceived the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye 
have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we 
cry, Abba, Father.'^ And in furtherance of this 
belief, I also believe in the scripture record con- 
cerning Jesus Christ; that he was conceived by 
the Holy Ghost, that he was born of the virgin 
Mary, that he sufifered under Pontius Pilate, was 
crucified, dead, and buried. In this, I have no 
doubt, I shall be considered sound by the gene- 
rality of professing Christians. 

Now, my fellow professors of this Christian 
name, what will all this heterogeneous mass of 
opinions avail me, if they cannot be applied to 
my mind for any practical purpose, or give me a 



131 

victory over one solitary sin or lust? They can- 
not remove one obstruction which may be placed 
between me and my God by disobedience to his 
laws. Besides this, I may be baptized in the 
outward element of water, I may wash in snow 
water and make me never so clean; yet, if I am 
not under the influence of that living principle, 
by which spiritual truths are understood, it will 
only plunge me still deeper into the ditch, till 
mine own clothes shall abhor me. 

With respect to the baptism which is essential 
to salvation — it does not consist in the applica- 
tion of water, nor any other outward element. 
And with respect to the bread and wine — it is 
no part of that dispensation which came by Jesus 
Christ, and which was from the foundation of 
the world to the present day. We were never 
under any other dispensation than that of the 
gospel of Jesus Christ. The law of Moses was 
never applicable unto us, who are of the Gentile 
race. We have always been under the imme- 
diate guidance of our heavenly Father, if we 
were only willing to submit to his manifestations. 
I have no idea that he has designed to cast off 
one part of his creation; for all are equally the 
workmanship of his hands: because this would 
make God unjust. 

It may be said, that this is grievous presump- 



\$2 

tion; that it is a mystery which we cannot un- 
derstand; — and it is too mysterious to be ration- 
ally or spiritually comprehended. For it bad 
is origin in that night of apostacy, which over- 
shadowed Christendom, when *' mystery Bab) lon^ 
the Great, the mother of harlots, and abomina- 
tions of the earth," reigned triumphant. And 
she is yet presenting to us lie cup of her forni- 
cations, which we, alas! delight in. We are par- 
taking of her pleasures, and if we continue, we 
must also become partakers of her plagues; and 
we shall be thrown into a bed with her, and be 
tornented because of our wickedness. 

It is not opinions, or beliefs, or sentiments, 
that can prevent these effects, or preserve us 
from them. It must be something of a more 
internal, spiritual, and operative nature. It must 
be something which will remove the blindness 
from our eyes, and give us to understand the 
mysteries of heaven, so that they may be applied 
immediately to our own understandings as prac- 
tical and operative truths. 

And with respect to bread and wine. It was 
declared, " Whoso eateth my flesh, and drink- 
eth my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise 
him up at the last day." But remember the 
concluding sentence. " It is the f pirit that quick- 
enelh; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that 



13S 

1 speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are 
life/' 

Now let us look a little into these things, and 
see if there is any thing which will suit us. Let 
us look into the causes, which have produced 
such mournful effects; which have caused this 
miserable declension from that state of pure and 
undefined religion before God the Father. For, 
" Pure religion and undefiled, before God and 
the Father is this, to visit the widows and fa- 
therless in their afflictions, and to keep ourselves 
unspotted from sin." Those who are of the 
holy catholic and apostolic church, are influ- 
enced by that which is holy and apostolical 
Now the followers of Jesus Christ sold their pos- 
sessions and goods, and parted them to all men, 
as every man had need: '' and the Lord added to 
the church daily such as should be saved." And 
while they remained under the influence of this 
holy principle, there was an accession to the 
true church. But after a season-— after a cou- 
ple of centuries, there arose among them men 
of learning, and men of science, falsely so called. 
These men introduced theological propositions 
and questions, which tended to gender strife. 
They introduced into the church spurious doc- 
trines respecting the nature and attributes of 
God; and, as one false step leads to another, 



134 

these have gradually led us farther from the 
source of light and of purity. 

And where had all this its origin? It was in- 
troduced from Alexandria in Egypt, the land 
where Israel was held in bondage. And how 
striking is the analogy! These corruptions came 
from Egypt into the church of Christ. They 
were brought by the bishop of Alexandria, who 
was succeeded by bishops, and pastors, and 
teachers; and they grew and increased, and their 
authors became more anxious to subserve their 
own ends, than that of truth. This gave occa- 
sion for one who was eminent in his day for 
divine illumination, mournfully to declare, that 
" in days that had passed, they had wooden cha- 
lices and golden priests, but now,^' said he, *' we 
have golden chalices, and wooden priests." 

They had sunk into the splendour of outward 
things — the spirit of religion was lost. Darkness 
had surrounded them, and the brilliancy of the 
first appearing of the opening of this dispensa- 
tion among the Jews, became clouded; and from 
step to step they grew and increased in super- 
stition, till that dark night of apostacy came over 
our Israel, and involved them in that deplorable 
situation, of which history gives us an account. 
It was from a small beginning that it had its 
origin; but it soon increased;, so that pardons for 



135 

sins were sold; and also indulgences to commit 
them; together with other absurdities, which are 
a disgrace to the rational faculties of man, and 
much more to that gift of spiritual investigation 
wherewith he is endowed. 

But it came to pass after a season, that there 
were raised up men who detested those abomi- 
nations, and who, coming to investigate the truth, 
saw some of those evils, of which but a little 
was manifested at first. For they could not at 
once come out of that midnight darkness, into 
the meridian light of gospel splendour. It would 
have blinded their eyes, puzzled their judgments, 
confounded their understandings, and probably 
have left them in a state worse than that in 
which they were. Very little was seen at once; 
and though the individuals who made the first 
reformation saw but little, yet as they attended 
unto this little, they were bright and shining 
lights, for they were obedient according to know- 
ledge. 

But, alas! instead of their followers attending 
to that light to which they had attended, they 
sat down in the letter where Calvin left it; and 
could not be drawn one step further than where 
he left them. So it was with the Lutherans — - 
so with the followers of Wesley, so with every 
society with which i am acquainted; and so it 



has been with the followers of Fox, Penn, and 
Barclay. We look to them for fundamentals, 
which if rightly known, are engraven by the 
finger of God, on the tablets of every soul. For 
these things we have cause of lamentation and 
mourning. And why? Because assuredly, in so 
doing we do not go forward, but backward. If 
we do not increase, assuredly we shall decrease- 
Have we not observed the followers of Calvin 
to stand in that form of which he experienced 
the great power and light? And the longer they 
continued in this form, the more dead it became, 
till it led these societies into persecutions, divi- 
sions, dissensions, and hatred; and caused them 
to become partakers of the cup of that Baby- 
lonish whore, who shall yet be stripped naked 
in the eyes of the nations, that they may see her 
shame. But it is not the Calvinists alone, who 
founded their system on this unjust doctrine of 
election and reprobation, that have here ground- 
ed and struck upon a rock. Every other society 
has fallen into the same snare, which the delu- 
sions of their own perverse imaginations have 
laid for their feet. And it is only by taking the 
back track, and returning in the way in which 
we came, that these effects can be changed, and 
the operative cause be changed that may produce 
effects which shall be more propitious. Now is 



137 

it not the case with the Lutherans, the Wesley- 
ans, and the Q,uakers? Is it not the case with 
every society, when they have been actuated by 
man's reason? "If it be not so now," as has 
been described, '' who will make me a liar, and 
make my words nothing worth?" 

Is the Lord's hand shortened that it cannot 
save? or is his ear heavy that he cannot hear? 
Can we, or dare we,* say that the work of our 
salvation is referred to secondary means? Has 
he appointed men for our teachers and leaders? 
No. But under the influence of this darkened 
state, which comes by a perversion of the divine 
principles of the gospel, many other abominations 
spring up. We see men professing to be minis- 
ters of the gospel, and upon what do they depend 
for their qualifications? Do they depend on the 
inspiring spirit of Christ manifested unto their 
own minds? Is it a duty required at their hands? 
Can they testify as the apostle did, " Wo is unto 
me, if I preach not the gospel?" No, verily. But 
is it not obvious to every reflecting mind, that, 
not only here, but in the land of my nativity, 
there are those who " preach for hire and divine 
for money, whose God is their belly, whose glory 
is their shame?" Look at the multitude, I had 
almost said innumerable multitude, who are go- 
verned by the wisdom and invention of man 



1S8 

They support the scriptures under a false titlej. 
considering them the word of God and the only 
rule of faith and practice. But they are not the 
word of God, nor are they the rule of faith and 
practice. They are the testimony of holy men 
of old, who were guided and influenced by the 
eternal word and rule of faith and practice, which 
was from everlasting to everlasting. 

Now, with respect to these benevolent asso- 
ciations, what are the fruits brought forth? and 
what are the effects produced on the minds of 
men and nations.'^ Have they produced in them, 
that holy anthem which was raised at the advent 
of the Messiah, " Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth peace, good will toward men.^'° 
No, verily. They have given unto these self- 
styled missionaries, authority over the gospel, 
and which will rivet the chains upon them, which 
have been placed there by the cunning of these 
deceivers. 

And how are these societies supported? Let 
us look a little. We most of us know that it is not 
by contributions from the pious of all sects and 
parties, but we find that money^ money, is the 
main-spring of action, and if this fails the whole 
system falls to the ground. And is the church 
of Christ to be built up with money, the love of 
which is the root of all evil.^ But what said Christ 



139 

ynto his disciples: " Whom do men say that I the 
Son of Man am? And they said, some say that 
thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others 
Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto 
them, but whom say ye that I am? And Simon 
Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, 
the son of the Hving God. And Jesus answered 
and said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it 
unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 
And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, 
and upon this rock" — that is, revelation — " I 
will build my church, and the gates of hell shall 
not prevail against it." 

Now let us look a little at this other founda- 
tion, and at the materials of which it is composed. 
Are these eifects produced, and are these sup- 
ports raised, by contributions from the pious of 
the various sects? Do we not see that donations 
are received from the blood thirsty warrior, from 
the cruel slave holding oppressor? And are not 
these individuals active in the establishment of 
Bible and missionary societies? And as far as the 
money goes, theirs is as good as that of any other 
persons. Do we not see contributors who are 
drunkards, whoremongers, gamblers, and a va- 
riety of every other name and character? And 
what if I say, " the hire of an harlot and the price 



^ 



140 

of a dog, both of which are an abomination in 
the sight of the Lord," would not be refused by 
these ministers of another and a spurious gospel. 
For instead of the gospel being preached in de- 
monstration of the spirit and of power, it stands in 
man's wisdom — it is not free, neither is it given 
freely, ft is a fair characteristic of that beastly 
nature and false prophet, so beautifully typified 
by the beast with seven heads and ten horns, 
which were pushing against one another. These 
beastly dispositions are of such a nature, that 
they are causing discord, and pushing, and con- 
fusion. 

Are not these the effects produced by an in- 
crease of religion at the present day; and is it not 
obvious to every reflecting mind, that with the 
increase of religion, there has been an increase 
of wickedness also. I apprehend, that this will 
be denied by few, who have not placed their 
faith and dependence in systems established by, 
and which stand in the opinions of others; and 
which have no operative power to give a victory 
over the evils of the world, and bring us into the 
glorious liberty of sons and daughters of God, 
where all these distinctions must vanish; and 
where there is neither Jew nor Greek, barbarian 
nor Scythian, male nor female, and where we 
shall not have any more discord nor confusion. 



141 

for Christ will be in all, and through all. This 
is the light which was in the church in the wil- 
derness, and followed Israel. As it is recorded, 
" They all ate the same spiritual meat, and drank 
* 4he same spiritual drink, for they drank of that 
spiritual rock which followed them; and that 
rock was Christ.'^ And he " maketh his angels 
spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.^^ For, 
" Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth 
to minister for them who shall be heirs of sal- 
vation?" 

You need not look to any certain beings who 
may stand in some particular or local situation 
for the angels of God. For what are they? 
Every manifestation of his will, is his angel; 
and every manifestation of his will unto the soul 
of man, is one of these sprits. For " he maketh 
his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of 
fire. And are they not all ministering spirits, 
sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs 
of salvation.^' Every work of the creative wis- 
dom of God, every monument of his creating 
power, is an angel of God: and when they keep 
their place, men continue in their first estate. 
But when any of us pervert the dispositions with 
which- we are endowed, and call good evil, and 
evil good; when we take light for darkness, and 
darkness for light; sweet for bitter, and bitter 



U2 

for sweet, then we pervert the design of our 
creation. Then it is, that we fall from that estate 
in which we were created, and rebel against the 
Most High. And every spirit of rebelhon which 
is thus indulged, constitutes a fallen angel; and* 
every fallen angel is a devil. 

Now, in order to be removed and preserved 
from this deplorable situation, where are we to 
look.^ Are we to look unto man, who has been 
instrumental in leading us into this confusion by 
the systems with which he has surrounded us; 
and by the sciences which he has assumed.^ 
Shall we look to declamation, to opinions, or to 
outward words? No, verily. For words are not 
worship, opinions are not religion, and declama- 
tion is not gospel. But if we ever come under 
the influence of that principle which is able to 
make wise unto salvation, we shall know what 
it is to be baptized into that faith which remains 
to be delivered unto the saints who are in Christ 
Jesus. This baptismal spirit is truly of an ope- 
rative nature. It was testified of by the pro- 
phets formerly; and it was declared by John, that 
it should increase, although he should decrease. 
" I indeed baptize you with water unto repent- 
ance; but he that cometh after me is mightier 
than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; 
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and 



143 

with fire/^ This is the baptism which is essen- 
tial unto salvation, for all. It is not a baptism 
which consists in washing with an outward ele- 
ment: but it is within the reach of all — it is 
internal, it is spiritual — it strikes at the root of 
every evil in our minds, and begets in us a clean 
heart; and here it is, that we can call God, Fa- 
ther. And how are these effects produced? 
Are they not obvious.'^ Are they above our com- 
prehension? Are we to be saved by those things 
which we cannot understand or comprehend? 
Forbid it heaven ! There is a way opened, whereby 
we can come to a knowledge of every truth: and 
this is through the operation of baptism. There 
is a spirit in man, which is inspired by the Al- 
mighty, and which opens our understanding. 
And what is this understanding? It is the faculty 
of determining what is evil, from the effects 
which it produces; and of knowing what is 
good, from the effects which it produces also. 
For it says unto the righteous, " Say ye it shall 
be well with them; for they shall eat the fruit 
of their doings; and unto the wicked, it shall be 
ill with him, for the reward of his works shall 
be given him." And as certainly as mercy and 
the love of God, and all the fruits of righteous- 
ness bring peace and joy in every holy spirit, 
so certainly, cruelty, pride, and a host of evil 



144 

dispositions which are too much indulged, bring 
sorrow, trouble, and confusion upon us. And 
thus we shall come to know what was meant by 
the declaration, " There was war in heaven: 
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; 
and the dragon fought and his angels, and pre- 
vailed not; neither was their place found any 
more in heaven." 

And what is heaven? Is it a place at a great 
distance, and beyond the grave, where there are 
distinct beings taking cognizance of all our ac- 
tions? Is this the idea which we have formed of 
heaven? No, my fellow professors: but even at 
the present moment, there is judgment set, and 
the books are opened. At the present moment, 
we may hear the voice of the Son of God, and 
if we are willing to obey that voice, we may live. 
Have we not all had an acquaintance with this 
principle, w^io have arrived at the years of ma- 
turity.? And can we not testify that evil brings 
sorrow, trouble, and confusion over our minds? 
That pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of 
idleness, bring no peace, when we sit in our 
houses, when we walk by the way, when we lie 
down, or when we rise up? Here is a spirit of 
baptism, of judgment, and of burning, which 
operates against all unrighteousness, and ungodr 
liness of man. And the effects which it produces, 



145 

are in accordance with each of our dispositions, 
thus bringing down the high, lofty, and proud 
into meekness, raising up the weak and despond- 
ing soul into firmness; and it will make all per- 
verse dispositions straight, and the rough places 
smooth. But these are not momentary opera- 
tions, nor the work of a day, or a week; but 
they are a gradual advancement from step to 
step, and from strength to strength. And thus 
we are able to testify with the apostle. " When 
I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood 
as a child, I thought as a child; but when I be- 
came a man, I put away childish things.^^ And 
the reasons which he gave for this, are good; 
and I would to God, that the same mind were 
in us, that when we are children, we might 
speak as children; and not be so confident in 
these systematic attainments, which we have re- 
ceived from books, and from men. But let us 
abide in a state of littleness, till our minds shall 
expand, so that we may receive those things 
which are essential for our further nourishment 
and provision, and for the enlightening of our 
understandings in the investigation and acknow- 
ledgment of, and obedience to divine truths. 

And we are informed, that " the kingdom of 
heaven is within you;" and it is from testimony 
of the highest authority. This, then, is the place 



146 

where we must look, for the manifestation of 
divine wisdom. It is here we must look for the 
display of that power; and it is here we must 
know him who hath power and dominion, to 
rule and to reign by his own laws. He hath a 
right also to give power that Michael and his 
angels shall fight against the dragon, and that 
his place shall be found no more in heaven. 
And when the angel of love shall cast out the 
devil of hatred, and the angel of mercy shall 
cast out the devil of cruelly; and the angel of 
temperance shall cast out the devil of intemper- 
ance; and when faitb, love, and fidelity shall 
cast out every opposite principle of infidelity; — 
when all the heavenly dispositions, and the prin- 
ciple of truth and righteousness, shall have cast 
out their opposites, their adversaries and ene- 
mies, then we shall come to know where this 
warfare was; because we shall have experienced 
it with power; and we shall know that ''every 
battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and 
garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with 
burning and fuel of fire." And assuredly it will 
never cease its operations till every thing con- 
trary to itself is burnt up, consumed and de- 
stroyed: for nothing of a contrary nature can 
stand the force of this fiery operation: therefore 
it will never cease till all these are burnt up in 



147 

our minds; for it is because of these that we 
come short of the glory of God; and that we 
have not that peace, which passeth all under- 
standing. 

How many there are, who, from their youth, 
and through the various ages of man, till hoar 
hairs have covered them, mourn because of their 
short comingvS, unfaithfulness, and disobedience; 
and yet, they feel the fire of his anger burn, be- 
cause there is yet combustible matter in them, 
which must be brought under. And while this 
rem.ains, the fire will abide in them to consume 
it. This is one of the many matchless mer- 
cies of a gracious God — that while we are diso- 
bedient we cannot eat the good of the land; we 
cannot become partakers of the divine harmony, 
and have our understandings regularly opened for 
the reception of divine truths. We may become 
children of an hundred ye^rs old; but if we 
continue as children, we shall never have the 
faith of men, and shall never have their expe- 
rience. 

Now this is the baptism which operates upon 
the soul, and leads it out of the bondage of sin 
and corruption into the glorious liberty of the 
sons and daughters of God. And it has been 
beautifully alluded to in the prophecy of Isaiah; 
and the same was alluded to by John when the 



148 

Pharisees inquired of him, "Who art thou? 
He said " I am the voice of one crying in the wil- 
derness, make straight the way of the Lord, as 
said the prophet Esaias. '" " Every valley shall be 
exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be 
brought low, the crooked shall be made straight, 
and the rough places smooth, and the glory of 
the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters 
cover the sea/" Here is a beautiful allusion 
to that great variety of operation, which is 
necessary to the varied dispositions and pas- 
sions of those who constitute the human fa- 
mily. Some are headstrong and fierce, these 
are the mountains which must be brought down 
into meekness, by judgment and burning. Others 
are lowly and desponding — the minds of these 
are to be comforted by a cup of consolation 
handed unto them, that they may rejoice therein, 
when they may at times despond and say "Hath 
the Lord forgotten to be gracious?" Every 
crooked and perverse disposition shall be made 
straight; because this baptism will burn up its 
undulations, and bring it to its proper level. 
There is no evil, which will not alike fall under 
its control. Thus the crooked and perverse 
dispositions will be made straight, and the rough 
places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall 
cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea. 



149 

Now where are we to look for the origin of 
true and Uving faith, if it be not in this operation? 
" Faith is the gift of God/' And there are a 
variety of faiths. There is a faith, so denomi- 
nated, which stands in a behef of certain systems 
and opinions, and which may stand in rational 
ideas. It was said, " Thou believest that there 
is one God; thou doest well; the devils also be- 
lieve and tremble.^' But this belief has no ten- 
dency to change or crucify our passions or lusts, 
for they remain devils still. There is no virtue 
in opinions — that is certain ; but faith works by 
love to the purifying of the heart. This is an- 
other principle. It is lively and universally ope- 
rative in its nature, and saving in its effects. It 
never stands separate from the baptism of the 
Holy Ghost which produces it. It is the gift of 
God to man, because of obedience. And when, 
season after season, we have come to be reprov- 
ed because of transgression, and when we have 
repented thereof, we have consequently felt the 
peace and joy of his consolation, season after 
season ; for it is a progressive workT There is 
then begotten in our souls a living faith, a holy 
confidence, which will be strength to us in times 
of succeeding desertion — an holy confidence, 
that he who called us when far off, and who has 
brought us thus far on our journey, will conti- 



150 

nue to perfect the work to the praise and glory 
of his own name and our soul's solid peace. 

Here is that faith which was not only once 
delivered to the saints, but that which is deliver- 
ed to the saints in every age of the world. Here 
is a medium of communication between God 
and the children of men. Under the influence 
of these feelings they come to be partakers of 
the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. " Except 
ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you." What is the 
blood .'^ It is that life which circulates through 
the whole system. And how beautiful is the 
analogy between this and spiritual things. And 
as assuredly as the natural outward blood is the 
outward life, and gives vitality to the whole ani- 
mal system, so does that blood which is the life 
of Christ, give a life of purity, holiness, and self- 
denying obedience to every manifestation of the 
Father's will. It is the life of every Christian, 
which circulates through his whole soul. There 
is no part left dark, and no part which cannot 
come under the influence of this heavenly and 
controHing principle. Here we become partakers 
of the flesh and blood of Christ, and are nourish- 
ed by it unto eternal life. 

Shall we then turn back and become partakers 
of the beggarly elements of bread and wine, as 



151 

typical of Christ's coming in the flesh? There 
is no need of this, when we are partakers of that 
internal light and life. We need not return to 
external objects, for as surely as the knowledge 
of the glory of God comes to cover our minds, 
so surely shall we become partakers of his divine 
nature, and experience the regenerating influ- 
ence of his spirit upon our minds, which will 
nourish up our souls unto eternal life. 

Here is a spiritual religion which is applica- 
ble unto our understandings. It is a religion 
which all can understand. It is this baptism of 
the Holy Ghost, which operates on all unrigh- 
teousness and ungodliness of men. It is a gos- 
pel preached in every creature. For Christ's 
disciples were not sent forth merely to preach 
and to baptize, but they were commanded to go 
forth and to preach the gospel baptizingly. Jesus 
declared that it should not only be preached bap- 
tizingly, but he also gave these men commission 
that, when they were endued with power from 
on high, they should bear outward testimony in 
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and in the uttermost 
parts of the earth. And although this medium 
of communication may be good, useful, or in- 
structive, and have a tendency to stir up the 
pure mind by way of remembrance, it never can 
supersede the necessity of that inward, spiritual 



152 

gospel, preached in every creature, which is. 
*' Christ in you, the hope of glory.'' 

Here we come immediately to know the divi- 
nity of Christ operating on our spirits, and we 
need not go back to theological discussions re- 
specting his manhood or Godhead. ' All that is 
to be done is to come immediately under the in- 
fluence of his power, and it will lead us out of 
the bondage of sin and corruption, into the glo- 
rious liberty of the sons and daughters of God. 
And as we attend to these divine operations, our 
faith will be strengthened, our souls will be more 
and more nourished, and more and more ac- 
quainted with the pointings of this divine teacher, 
till we shall become wise in those things which 
are hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed 
unto babes. And this was a cause of thankful- 
ness, even unto Christ himself '' I thank thee, 
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
thou hast hid these things from the wise and pru- 
dent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even 
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." 

And now respecting election and reprobation. 
The true ground of this stands not in any fore-ordi- 
nation of God before the foundation of the world, 
but it stands in our obedience or disobedience to 
the law written in the hearts of all men. But if 
we will attend to the baptism of the Holy Ghost, 



153 

which is a reprover for evil, and which speaks 
peace for obedience, we shall grow stronger and 
stronger until we overcome every thing of an op- 
posite nature. Here we become elected together 
with Christ, as he was elected, because he was 
obedient to his Father's spirit. Here is the true 
ground of election. And if, on the contrary, we 
deny his power and are not obedient to his ma- 
nifestations, our evil propensities will grow until 
they predoaiinate over the good, and thus we 
shall bring ourselves into the state of reprobates, 
and we shall feel punishment — shall feel those 
everlasting burnings that we can never escape 
from. But I apprehend there is a state attain- 
able where God will, at all times, appear in his 
own native loveliness, where we shall not be 
afraid of the operation of his power; we shall not 
be afraid of its rising, because we know that it 
only appears in judgment against all unrighteous- 
ness and ungodHness of men. 

Christ himself makes allusion to this in the 
parable, where he compares this work to a " little 
leaven which a woman took and hid in three 
measures of meal till the whole was leavened." 
And we all know the nature of meal, that it is 
passive and obstructs not the operation of the 
leaven. It is compared also to " a grain of aius- 
tod seed, which a man took and sowed in his 
u 



154 

field; which is, indeed, the least of all seeds, but, 
when it is grown, it is the greatest anaong herbs^ 
so that the birds of the air come and lodge in 
the branches thereof/' Now these fowls of the 
air are the visionary imaginations of the mind. 
And these things are instructive, if we are willing 
to apply them. And do we, by this declaration, 
make void the testimony as recorded? No. But 
tve establish the law. And when we attain unto 
this state, we shall find beauty and excellency in 
the scriptures, which we can never find by per- 
verting their name. By attending to these things 
our under^^landings will be opened, and we shall 
be brought into the same feelings, views, and 
principles, which actuated the holy men of old 
who wrote them. We shall not be characteriz- 
ing them as the word of God and the only rule 
of faith and practice. It is only to that divine 
wisdom and power which was in the beginning, 
which took flesh and blood as a clothing, to 
whom we ought to give this name, and attribute 
this wisdom and power. 

And the scriptures of truth thus coming to 
have a proper influence on our minds, they will 
become to us more and more lovely, the more 
we are acquainted with them. They will be^ 
come more and more precious, and we shall not 
he ashamed to ^icknowiedge their inestimable 



155 

value and their authenticity. Yet we shall not 
consider them the word of God, nor the only rule 
of faith and practice. We shall consider them 
as testimony corroborative of those spiritual 
truths which are sealed upon our minds by the 
impress of the divine spirit. And it is not only 
the scriptures of truth, but the sun and moon in 
their orbits, and the stag's in their courses, will 
all testify of the mercy, goodness, and power of 
God. Neither shall we be induced to worship 
these, notwithstanding their brilliancy. We shall 
neither bow our knees, nor lift up our hands to 
any created object, because this would be deny- 
ing that God who is above all. Not only these, 
the most brilliant objects of his creative wisdom 
with which we are acquainted, but all the works 
of his hands proclaim themselves the workman- 
ship of deity. There is not an insect that we 
ti'ead upon, which does not receive life from him. 
Every blade of grass, every leaf that falls, and 
every wing that flits the air, all receive alike, 
whether animal or vegetable, his superintending 
<iare. That God whom we serve, that deity 
whom we worship, is omnipotent, omniscient, 
and omnipresent. Then, where is there room 
for a division of God.f^ How can we divide and 
sub-divide the divinity into three persons in one 
God? It is an absurdity; and derogatory, if not 



Id6 

blasphemous! Tt is derogatory to that power 
which fills all place and all space. For what- 
ever admits of divisioD, admits of locality, but 
Gad IS found every where. To this the scrip- 
tures bear testimony throughout. " Who shall 
ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from 
above.*^ or who shall descend into the deep to 
bring him up from thence? For what saith the 
spirit: the word" — which is the power—'* is nigh 
thee, in thy heart and in thy mouth, that thou 
mayst hear it and do it.'^ And another inspired 
penman cried out, " Whither shall I go from thy 
spirit.'^ Or whither shall 1 flee from thy presence? 
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If 
I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. 
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in 
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall 
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold 
me. 

Now, my beloved friends, every thing capa- 
ble of feeling within me, is called into action 
in this meeting, and I believe the Lord God has 
mercifiilly extended his presence over this assem- 
bly. And I want us to come into an examination 
of ourselves, and not be content with superficial 
observances of things imbibed by habit, by edu- 
cation, and tradition. " For, w^hat does the Lord 
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love 



161 

mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God/^The 
inspired penman was willing to make every sa- 
crifice. '' Wherewith shall I come before the 
Lord, and bow myself before the high God? 
Shall \ come before him with burnt offerings, 
with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be 
pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten 
thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first 
born for my transgression, the fruit of my body, 
for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, 
man, what is good, and what doth the Lord 
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love 
mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?'^ Here 
is the whole duty of man, to " fear God, and 
keep his commandments/^ This is a corrobo- 
rative testimony, as to the whole duty of man. 
And " God will bring every thought into judg- 
ment, whether good or evil." Therefore, I crave 
it of you, that you attend individually to the ma- 
nifestations of that spirit of wisdom, which re- 
proves for every evil, and speaks peace for 
every act of obedience. This will enable you 
to enjoy that peace here, which the world can 
neither give nor take away. In prosperity, it 
will preserve you from being lifted up; in adver- 
sity, it will raise you above depression and mur- 
muring: in health, it will preserve you from 
temptation, and in sickness, from despair. It 



158 

will disarm death of its sting, and the grave of 
its victory. And when time here shall be no 
more, we shall attain to a mansion in that build- 
ing of God, that house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens; "where neither njoth 
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not 
break through nor steal/' 



SERMON VL 
BY ELIZABETH ROBSON. 

PEIiIVERED AT ROSE STREET MEETING, NEW-YORK, 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE IST, 1826, 

My mind has been impressed with the lan^ 
guage of St. Paul: " I have fought a good fight, 
I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 
henceforth, there is laid up for ine a crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me 
only, but unto all them also, that love his appear- 
ing." Now here is set forth, the blessed reward 
which was in his view, the crown of righteous- 
ness, which he had clear evidence he should 
receive at the end of his race, when his course 
was finished. And also for the encouragement 
of others, he declared, that it was not laid up 
for him only, but for all them also, who love the 
appearing of the Lord, the righteous Judge, 
And I am verily persuaded, that unless we love 
his appearing in our hearts^ we cannot possibly 



160 

be enabled, like the apostle, to fight the good 
fight, and to keep the faith. And here is brought 
to my remembrance, another passage respecting 
this apostle, when he had a great trial to encoun- 
ter. ^ I think it was when he was going up to 
Jerusalem, and when he was sensible of the 
wicked things that would be set forth; yet, none 
of these things moved him: ''neither count I 
my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish 
my course with joy, and the ministry which I 
have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
gospel of the grace of God.'^ Now here he 
showed very clearly, where his confidence was— 
that it was not in his own righteousness, nor in 
any thing outward, but in the arms of Ahnighty 
power. He doubtless saw, that it was not only 
good for him to beheve in Christ as his Saviour 
and Redeemer, but to suffer for his name. And 
he must have been brought into an entire willing- 
ness to suffer, for he spoke of being wilh'ng to 
be offered up. " For I am now ready to be of- 
fered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 
I have fought a good fight, T have finished my 
course, I have kept the faith."' 

Now, it appears, that he had in prospect, a 
death very painful to human nature; he sup- 
posed that he should be offered up, and that he 
must die as a murderer; but look at the confi- 



161 

dence that attended him. These things are left 
on record, and surely they are recorded for our 
encouragement — that we may be animated in 
pursuing the right way to everlasting rest and 
peace; for this surely is the will of God concern- 
ing us, that we should be saved. " For he will- 
eth not the death of him that dieth in his sins, 
but would, that all men should return, repent, 
and live;" that all men should witness the sal- 
vation and redemption that is appointed unto 
man, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Sa- 
viour, whose blood was shed upon the cross, 
without the gates of Jerusalem, for the remis- 
sion of sins. Thus, he '' who knew no sin, 
was made sin for us, that we might be made the 
righteousness of God in him." " He bore our 
sins, in his own body on the tree." Thus he 
offered up himself as a lamb, without spot, unto 
God ; and " he ever liveth to make intercession" 
for us. Thus by that one offering for sin, he 
purchased eternal redemption for us. 

Then, my friends, what will be our condem- 
nation, alas! if we reject the offers of love and 
mercy through Christ, our Lord and Saviour.^ — 
if any of us should be saying in our hearts after 
this manner, " We will not that this man should 
rule over us." We find that so it was with the 
Jews; many of them said, we will not that this 

X 



162 

man should rule over us. And we may be so in 
our hearts, and far away from the appearing of 
the Lord, the righteous judge. For, assuredly, 
he doth appear in the heart and maketh known 
his judgments there. He is a swift witness 
against sinful thoughts, and words, and actions, 
and a faithful witness and faithful reprover, ac- 
cording to the prophetic declaration: " Behold, 
I have given him for a witness to the people, a 
leader and commander to the people." " For a 
witness to the peopW^ — and he doth bear witness 
in our hearts against sin and iniquity. And I 
believe there are none here, who have arrived 
at the age of capability, who can, on serious re- 
flection, say that they have not felt this witness 
in themselves. And it is unto this just witness 
for God in the heart, that I desire all our atten- 
tions may be turned, that by him we too may be 
enabled to fight the good fight and keep the faith; 
for he that believeth hath the witness in himself. 
This is the witness that God gave concerning 
his son: " He that beheveth on the son of God 
hath the witness in himself He that believeth 
not God, hath made him a har; because he be- 
lieveth not the record that God gave of his son. 
And this is the record: that God hath given to 
us eternal life, and this Hfe is in his son. He 
that hath the son^ hath life; and he that hath not 



163 

the son of God, hath not life." Now, my friends, 
it appears clear to me, that if we have not* the 
son, if we are not sensible of his reproofs in our 
hearts, it must be through our disobedience, it 
must be because we have not loved the appearing 
of the Lord, the righteous judge; but that we 
have turned away therefrom and disobeyed him. 
And it has been said, " The Lord will not always 
strive with man, for that he also is flesh." It is 
also set forth in scripture, that because " they 
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, 
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do 
those things which are not convenient." And 
may we not at this day, though the means of 
salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord, are 
freely offered unto man, be rejecting his appear- 
ing in our hearts, by which we shall, in time, be 
given over to reprobate minds, or to those things 
which are not convenient? and thus we may be 
in a reprobate state. And I apprehend that it 
was unto this that the apostle alluded when he 
spoke in this manner: "Examine yourselves, 
whether ye be in the faith; prove your own 
selves: know ye not your own selves, how that 
Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 
Oh, how awful is this reprobate state, living as 
without God in the world! And without this, 
what is there to look forward to? What is there 



164 

to look for, but " a certain fearful looking for of 
judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall de- 
vour the adversaries/^ For the Lord is a just 
and righteous God, a God of infinite mercy and 
love, a God of justice and judgment, and he will 
not at all acquit the wicked. And it is set forth, 
that " the soul that sinneth, it shall 6\e/' And 
we may remember what our redeemer said unto 
the unbelieving Jews: "Except ye believe that 
I am he, ye shall die in your sins, and whither I 
go ye cannot come/^ Then how awful is the 
spirit of unbelief! " For without faith it is im- 
possible to please God; for he that cometh to 
God must believe that he is, and thai he is a re- 
warder of them that diligently seek him." And 
we have heard respecting that same people, when 
Christ was personally on earth, that because they 
did not believe, he did not work many mighty 
miracles among them. Then, surely, great is 
the sin of unbelief " Take heed, brethren, lest 
there be in any of you, an evil heart of unbelief, 
in departing from the living God." Now, whence 
proceeds this heart of unbelief? It is given the 
true Christian, not only to believe, but to suffer 
for the name of Jesus; to believe in him as a sa- 
viour and redeemer, as the scriptures set forth. 
For the scriptures are given forth " by inspira- 
tion of God, and are profitable for doctrine, for 



165 

reproof, for correction, for instruction in righ- 
teousness. That the man of God may be per- 
fect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works/^ 
The scriptures are an invaluable record, being 
preserved to this day in a marvellous manner — 
preserved through the many dark ages of apos- 
tacy, vs^hen much pains were taken to destroy this 
sacred record, this memorial of the goodness and 
mercy of God to the children of men. And 1 
do consider that therein is contained a fund of 
deep and invaluable instruction. These scrip- 
tures were designed to be a great blessing to us, 
and they are a great blessing to all them who 
turn unto the Lord, the righteous judge, in their 
hearts. And then, when they read the scriptures^ 
they see that they have a double testimony of 
these things, because they have the testimony of 
the spirit in their own hearts; and when they are 
under the fear of God, it testifies to the same 
things that are set forth in the scriptures. And I 
believe, my beloved friends, that we can scarcely 
Ifb in any situation or station in life, but we may 
find something in the sacred records which will 
tend to our comfort, instruction, or edification. 
And the apostle recommended the scriptures to 
Timothy — " And that, from a child, thou hast 
known the holy scriptures which are able to 
make thee wise unto salvation^ through faith 



166 

which is in Christ Jesus." Then what encou- 
ragement we have to turn unto the Lord, the 
righteous judge, in our hearts, — to yield eimple 
and faithful obedience to what is made manifest 
unto us. And then we shall know a being gra- 
dually led out of a fallen state — out of Adam's 
nature, — and we shall become renewed in the spi- 
rit of our minds, and we shall come to see, by 
blessed experience, that grace and truth came 
by Jesus Christ. " The law came by Moses, 
but grace and truth by Jesus Christ." And al- 
though that law was set forth as being excellent, 
and adapted to the state of the people in that day, 
yet it is set forth that " the law made nothing 
perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; 
by the which we draw nigh unto God.^^ Thus 
we have come under a higher dispensation — the 
new covenant dispensation — a higher dispensa- 
tion than the children of Israel were under in 
that day, before the coming of Christ in the flesh 
according to prophecy. But we read that in that 
day, through the great mercy of the Lord to his 
people, it was set forth that he gave them sta- 
tutes and judgments which, if men kept, they 
should live in them. David, in speaking of the 
statutes of the Lord, says, " The law of the Lord 
is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony 
of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 



167 

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing th^ 
heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, 
enhghtening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is 
clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the 
Lord are true and righteous altogether. More 
to be desired are they than gold, yea than much 
fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the 
honey comb. Moreover by them is thy servant 
warned, and in keeping of them there is great 
reward."' Thus the righteous were accepted, 
in that day, according to their obedience. But 
we novs^ are under the gospel; we have come 
under a higher and different dispensation. And 
of this the prophet speaks after this manner: 
" Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I 
will make a new covenant with the house of Is- 
rael and with the house of Judah. Not accord- 
ing to the covenant that I made with their fathers, 
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring 
them out of the land of Egypt; which, my cove- 
nant, they brake; but this shall be the covenant 
that I will make with the house of Israel: after 
those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in 
their inmost parts, and write it in their hearts; 
and I will be their God, and they shall be my peo- 
ple. And they shall teach no more every man his 
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, 
know the Lord: for they shall all know me from 



168 

the least, uoto the greatest of them, saith the 
Lord/^ And to this new law written in the heart, 
the apostle bears ample testimony, when he says, 
" There is therefore now no condemnation to 
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not 
after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law 
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made 
me free from the law of sin and death/' Here 
was a noble testimony as to the effects of this 
new covenant dispensation, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord and Saviour — and thus redemption is 
freely offered unto men. 

Oh! that we might all be deeply impressed, 
with the necessity of coming in our minds, to 
submit to the appearing of the Lord, the righte- 
ous judge. For I an^ firmly persuaded that all 
those, who submit in their hearts, will know their 
corrupt wills to be brought gradually into sub- 
jection. And hereby they are taught of the Lord, 
and preserved from every degree of unbelief. 
For I cannot conceive that any one can get into 
a state of unbelief, but through disobedience to 
the simple pointing of the spirit of truth in the 
heart, and by letting in their own reasoning — 
carnal reasoning, after the mind has been en- 
lightened and influenced; and there may have 
been a beginning with the spiritual work, and 
it may have been carried on for a season also; 



169 

and then the enemy of our soul's happiness, who 
is ever busy, has insinuated himself into our 
minds; for, like the subtle serpent, he is going 
about, not only as a roaring lion, but like a subtle 
serpent, seeking whom he may destroy or devour. 
For he is a destroyer, coming to kill and destroy. 
And he not only tempts us to things, which are 
sinful in the eyes of the world, but to commit 
secret and hidden sins. He would tempt us to 
a departure from the living God, and thus sap the 
very foundation of Christianity itself: atid lay 
waste the work of God in the soul. And after a 
good beginning, we amy have been seeking sal- 
vation, through fleshly wisdom. Then how very 
needful it is, to be on the guard, and to be 
watchful unto prayer. This is the christian's 
portion, and herein there is safety, in attending 
to the injunction of the Great Master: " What 
I say unto you, I say unto all, watch and pray 
that ye enter not into temptation.'' And he 
.spake a parable unto this effect — " Men ought 
always to pray and not to faint." Now here it 
is, that the christian traveller lays hold on eter- 
nal life, by keeping to his post. And he watch- 
fully waits with confidence, knowing there is 
nothing that he can do, as a human being, only 
to be- thankful every day, under a sense of his 
own weakness and imperfection. 



170 

This work of God has this peculiarity, that it 
brings down all such as are high and lifted up. 
For the day of the Lord thus comes — the day 
of his power — to be lifted up above all high and 
lofty imaginations. And thus, " the lofty looks 
of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of 
men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone 
shall be exalted in that day.^^ And thus our 
hearts would be brought under the government 
of Christ. In this appearance of his power we 
shall know him in his divine character, we shall 
know him to" be the " Wonderful, Counsellor, 
the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the 
Prince of Peace. ^^ And we should feel that as 
we attend to this divine light, we should expe- 
rience an increase of his power, and our hearts 
would become enlarged therewith. And of the 
increase of his power, it was^ set forth there 
should be no end. Now, I believe, that this may 
have an individual allusion, and a general allu- 
sion, to the spreading of the kingdom of the 
Redeemer in the earth. And I do believe, that, 
although there are many at this day, among pro- 
fessing christians, who are disposed to disbelieve 
many things set forth in the scriptures; and al- 
though there are some professing christians who 
will not believe in Christ the Saviour, according 
to his divine character, — we have yet reason to be 



171 

thankful, that the kiogdom of the dear Re- 
deemer, is spreading in the world at large. And 
it seencjs to me, there is at this day a call going 
forth, and that this call is waxing louder and 
louder, that there should be more turning in- 
ward to the Lord, with a willingness to submit 
the heart to the judgment of the spirit of truth. 
And assuredly, as we submit the heart to the 
judgment of the spirit of truth, we shall have 
believing hearts, we shall have faith towards 
God; and then, we shall have faith towards 
Christ, as a saviour and redeemer. Because, 
here we should be brought to see our emptiness, 
poverty, and weakness; our lost and undone 
state, without a redeemer and a saviour, and of 
the blessed means of redemption, appointed unto 
man, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

This would enable us to travel forward through 
our spiritual warfare, trials, discouragements, and 
deep afflictions; for many are the tribulations of 
the righteous, but the Lord delivereth out of 
them all. " The angel of the Lord encampeth 
round about them that fear him, and saveth 
them.^' And let us remember that our Great 
Master declared, " Where I am, there shall my 
servants be also." " If they have called the mas- 
ter of the house Beelzebub, how much more they 
of his household.'' And surely, there is a por- 



112 

tion of trials and afflictions, which the true fol- 
lowers of a crucified Lord must pass through; 
but all these things are wisely ordered, and 
wisely permitted for our instruction. All these 
things are limited by him who sets bounds to the 
waves of the sea; and they cannot pass over 
them. And where he permits any of his child- 
ren to be tried and proved with afflictions, tbey 
come to know more and more of his goodness 
and mercy, as they are willing to endure the 
trials of the present day. As saith the apostle, 
" Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to 
be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward 
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, 
unto them which are exercised 'thereby."^ And 
thus, as patience hath its perfect work, they are 
enabled again and again, not only to believe, but 
to stand for his name, who died for us, and rose 
again; who ascended up into heaven, and sitteth 
at the right hand of the throne of God; and 
who ever liveth to make intercession for us. He 
is our intercessor and mediator with God the Fa- 
ther, and this is the ground of a blessed hope 
to all true believers. Oh! that all were of this 
description, for surely my beloved friends, there 
remains to be balm in Gilead, a physician 
there; and Christ is the great physician of men. 
For we may remember, that when he was per- 



173 

sonally among men, he went about cjoing good. 
He healed all the sick, he caused the lame to 
walk, he opened the bhnd eyes, unstopped the 
deaf ears, and healed all manner of sickness and 
diseases among the people. And now in the 
day of his inward and spiritual appearing in our 
hearts, he doth heal all the sickness and diseases 
of the soul, as we come unto him with faith, be- 
lieving that he is able to save us. But we must 
have faith in him, for without faith it is impos- 
sible to please God. 

If we have not a true and living faith, let us 
examine into the causes — let us search a little 
deeper into the state of our own hearts. Because, 
my friends, our time is passing away swiftly, and 
every day that passes over our heads, is bringing 
us nearer to the grave, that house appointed for 
all the living. And, " Except ye believe,^^ says 
Christ, " that I am he, ye must die in your sins, 
and whither I go, ye cannot come." Are there 
any present — is there an individual present, who 
does not believe in that blessed Messiah, as is 
clearly set forth in the scriptures? If there be 
any such, Oh! that they may consider the awful 
consequence of unbelief! Oh! that they may 
turn inward to the state of their own hearts, and 
search more deeply, that they may be like minded 
with one who says, " Who can understand his 



174 

errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults/' 
We cannot understand our errors, except as we 
turn to the inshining of the light of Christ in 
our consciences — to him in whom dwelleth all 
the fulness of the Godhead bodily, " for in him 
there dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily;" but not in us. No: he causeth his light 
to shine in our hearts. And Christ is " the true 
light, that enlighteneth every man that cometh 
into the world.^^ 

Then how dependent are we, on Christ the 
great shepherd of the sheep, that laid down his 
life for the sheep. For, *' Greater love hath no 
man than this, that a man lay down his life for 
his friend." And in this love was abundantly 
fulfilled the prophecy, when Christ laid down his 
life upon the cross, without the gates of Jeru- 
salem. He died the ignominious death of the 
cross, for our sakes, that our salvation in him 
might be complete — that we might be fully recon- 
ciled unto God the Father, through him. 

And I believe, my dear friends, that we may 
be brought into some degree of participation 
with him in his sufferings, for there must be a 
being baptized with him, before we can know 
ourselves rising with him into newness of life. 
" Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a 
new creature: old things are passed away; be- 



175 

hold, all things are become new. And all things 
are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself 
by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the mi- 
nistry of reconcihation, to wit, that God was in 
Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not 
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath 
committed unto us the word of reconciliation/^ 
And thus every true believer feeds on Christ 
the living substance, and partakes of his flesh 
and blood: and this is figurative in a double 
sense, being also made partakers of his divine 
and heavenly nature, and partakers of the bene- 
fits of the sacrifice of the great " Apostle and 
High Priest of our profession/^ Then my 
friends, what can we desire more than this, to 
be of the number of those, who are fighting the 
good fight. Many would have seen better days, 
if they had yielded a full obedience to the gentle 
monitions of the spirit of truth. But we cannot 
bear to rise into the baptism, or experience the 
operations of the living word of God, for it is 
" quick and powerful, and sharper than any two 
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asun- 
der of soul and spirit, and of the joints and mar- 
row, and is a discerner of the thoughts, and 
intents of the heart." If we dwell with it in 
our hearts, it will bring us under this baptism or 
cleansing operation of the spirit. For it is not 



176 

implied in any part of the scriptures, that Christ 
gave himself to redeem us in our sins; but " he 
gave himself for us that he noight redeem us 
from all iniquity" — now let us observe the fulness 
of this expression — " redeem us from all ini- 
quity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people 
zealous of good works/^ 

Now, my friends, these peculiar people are 
those who are inwardly members of the body of 
Christ. It is those who have submitted to the 
crucifying power of Christ in them, till their 
whole nature has been completely crucified, and 
sin destroyed. " Knowing this, that our old man 
is crucified with him, that the body of sin might 
be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve 
sin/' As they become free from sin, through 
Christ, they become his peculiar people. And 
O that we might all strive to be of the number 
of this peculiar people, to be of this number of 
Christ's church of which he is himself the head, 
and become living stones and members of his 
body: that we may not be of the number of those 
who are trusting to a name to live while they are 
dead; — not of the number of those who are walk- 
ing merely orderly among men, but who have 
not experienced a regeneration of the spirit and 
power of Christ; — but that we may be of the num- 
ber of those who are not only of Adam's nature 



177 

—his fallen nature— but raised up into that pure 
image in which man at first was created. For 
it is set forth that God created man in his own 
image; but he fell from that blessed state in 
which he was created, and when he fell from that 
state of innocency he lost the image of his Crea- 
tor, and was driven out of the garden. 

But herein is the love of God made manifest, 
that while we were yet sinners Christ died for 
us. Then, surely, we ought diligently to attend 
to our high calling. We ought to be engaged, 
my friends, to leave the things which are behind, 
and "press forward toward the mark for the prize 
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus/'' The 
mark that we must aim at is a clean and pure 
heart, that we may be arrayed in white raiment, 
and receive " a white stone, and in the stone a 
new name written, which no man knoweth, sav-, 
ing he that receiveth it.^^ Thus the name of 
God, and the name of the city of God, will be 
given unto us. 

Oh! the encouragement that flows in my heart 
at this time is more than I can set forth in words, 
to those who are sensible of the visitation of God 
to their souls. These, when they look back on 
the days that are past, and see how they have 
spent a great portion of their lives, perceive that 
there has been a very great shortness, and be- 



178 

hold their state as the natural man seeth his face 
in a glass. They see that many things are still 
in their hearts, which must be given up to judg- 
ment. And I believe that when we view our 
short comings, and when we are deeply pros- 
trated under a sense of our many evils, that this 
ought not to discourage us and cast us down be- 
low any hope, but rather that we should be ani- 
mated to look to him who is a saviour and a re- 
deemer, for he is an advocate with the Father; 
he is the propitiation for our sins, and not only 
for our sins, but for the sins of all those who love 
his appearing. 

I desire to invite all such to come unto Christ, 
the saviour; to come unto him who is an advo- 
cate with the Father. O turn unto him, I ten- 
derly beseech you; turn unto him who is reprov- 
ing you and striving with you. And may this 
be the langtiage of your souls: I will bear thy 
judgments, O Lord, because I have sinned against 
thee. Also, in the way of thy judgments will I 
wait on thee. How excellent is it to wait on 
him, deeply humbled and prostrated. Oh I that 
we may not be wise in our own eyes; that we 
may not be " as one seeing his face in a glass, 
who straightway goeth away and forgetteth what 
manner of man he was!" We read that the good- 



179 

ness of some was but as the early dew or rain 
which quickly passeth away. 

My friends, and when we look at the uncer- 
tainty of every thing before us, and see that an 
awful eternity will soon be opened to us, how 
ought we to be employed in the sight of God! 
When we consider that our life is like a vapour 
that quickly passeth away, we know not how 
soon we may be numbered with the dead. Do we 
not know that some are taken away in a mo- 
ment, yea, in the twinkling of an eye, and have 
scarcely time to say, Lord have mercy on me.^ 
Now I cannot but believe, that this language is 
intended to proclaim, " Be ye also ready.^^ It 
is our highest interest to endeavour to be ready 
— to have our great account in readiness with 
our God, and that we endeavour to make our 
"calling and election sure," giving all diligence 
herein. Oh! that we may all be of this number, 
that henceforth we may be willing to bear the 
Lord's hand upon us, being like minded with the 
apostle in fighting the good fight, and in main- 
taining the inward and spiritual warfare from 
day to day, and in keeping the faith, that we may 
be built up in that most holy faith which was 
once delivered unto the saints — that we may 
know that precious state set forth by the apostle: 
"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; 



180 

yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life 
which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith 
of the son of God who loved me, and gave him- 
self for me." 

Now, my friends, let us apply this. He " loved 
me and gave himself for me." He is the good 
shepherd who gave his life for us, that we might 
have life more abundantly. But let us beware 
of that strong enemy, the devil, who, as a roar- 
ing lion, walketh about seeking whom he may 
devour; and of the false prophet and deceiver. 
Let us beware of his subtleties and transforma- 
tions, for he would verily deceive us by transform- 
ing himself into an angel of light. Of these let us 
beware, — for, if I am not much mistaken, there 
are those in this present assembly who need to 
be more on their guard; to be more aware of 
these subtle transformations of the enemy, who 
transform themselves into the appearance of an- 
gels of light, thus trying to turn away from the 
faith, all those who are not careful to fight the 
good fight, from day to day, keeping stedfast in 
obedience to the manifestations of the spirit. 
That while being so humbled and bowed, from 
day to day, we may be preserved from carnal 
reasoning, and from being led astray by the trans- 
formations of Satan; for he worketh as in a mys- 
tery of iniquity, and would try to draw down the 



181 

stars out of the firmament, and would try to bring 
on us all the consequences of his transgression. 
O my friends, it is through watchfulness and 
prayer, that each of us must witness a preserva- 
tion in the day of temptation and trial, that we 
may discover all the subtle workings of sin. 
Then let us watch and pray that we enter not 
into temptation ; and that we may know an adding 
to "our faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; 
and to knowledge, temperance; and to tempe- 
rance, patience; and to patience, godhness; and 
to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly 
kindness, charity. For if these things be in 
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall 
neither be barren, nor unfruitful in the know- 
ledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.^^ 
And this is indeed the knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. And I desire that we 
may all come to and abide in it; and that we 
may all be careful to see what covers our spirits; 
that we may be watchful over our words, and 
this from day to day. And as we are thus watch- 
ful and willing to endure present tribulations; — 
here then, we shall enjoy a living faith through 
the matchless loving kindness and mercy of our 
God. And we shall be permitted to join those, 
whom John saw in the vision of light, clothed 
in white raiment; and they had on their heads 



IS2 

crowns of gold, and they had in their hands 
palms. These are they, which having washed 
their robes, come through great tribulation, to 
be made white in the blood of the Lamb. 
" Therefore are they before the throne of God, 
and serve him day and night in his temple; and 
he that sitteth on the throne, shall dwell among 
them. They shall hunger no more, neither 
thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in 
the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and 
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes." 



PRAYER 
By ANNA BRAITHWAITE. 

THOU, who art the Lord God of heaven and 
earth! thou the dread of nations! — thou who 
weighest the mountains in scales, and accountest 
the hills a very little thing! We would ask of 
thee, with humble hearts and contrite spirits, thy 
blessing on this assembly. Thou who knowest 
all things — the secrets of every heart now be- 
fore thee, we ask not of thee, either riches or 
honour. 

O Father, under a very awful sense of our 
entire dependence on thee, the God of hosts, 
we beg of thee to sanctify us. And under a 
grateful and thankful sense of thy salvation, 
which in unutterable mercy, thou hast appointed 
unto the very ends of the earth, through the life, 
suflferings, death, and resurrection of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, we do now venture^ in 
great prostration of spirit, to ask of thee, that 
the haughtiness of men may be brought down 
and laid low; and that the kingdom of the Mes- 
siah may spread among the nations. That the 
day may hasten .when the knowledge of the 



184 

Lord, shall cover the earth, even as the waters 
cover the sea. 

O righteous Father, thou canst turn the hearts 
of men, and we do humbly craVe thy blessing 
on us. We pray unto thee, to be near us in the 
way that we go; that those who are sensible of 
thy righteous judgments, may keep the word 
of thy patience; that they may be refined, but 
not with siher, and chosen in the furnace of 
affliction ; that they may come to be of the num- 
ber of those, who are under thy holy discipline, 
whereby thou art blinding the eyes that would 
see, and stopping the ears that would hear. O 
Lord, that thou mightest anoint with thy spirit 
their eyes to see, and their ears to hear what the 
spirit saith unto the churches. 

Father, we pray thee to increase the faith 
of these. Increase our faith we beseech thee. 
And under a reverend sense of thy continued 
mercy, and our unworthiness of the least of thy 
mercies, we do with contrite hearts, bow this 
day before thee. Thou knowest that we have 
met with one accord in this place, and do thou 
be pleased to enable us with one heart and mind, 
to ascribe unto thee, the Lord God, and unto 
the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne, glory, 
and honour, and dominion, and power, under a 
sense, that thou art worthy, everlastingly worthy. 
Amen. 



SERMON VIL 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD, 

liEilVERED AT ROSE STREET MEETING, NEW-YORK, 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE IST, 1826.* 

I APPREHEND it is Considered that the service 
of the meeting is over, and perhaps we may as 



* As the circumstances of this meeting were peculiar, and 
have been variously represented, it becomes the duty of the 
stenographer to give a statement of facts as they appeared 
to him at the time. 

At an early period of the meeting Mrs. Robson rose, and 
continued to speak for more than an hour. She was very 
soon succeeded by Mrs. Braithwaite in the foregoing prayer j 
immediately after which, Richard Jordan and Elisha Bates, 
who sat at the head of the meeting, shook hands as the cus- 
tomary signal for a separation : but, contrary to any thing 
ever before witnessed by the stenographer, or by any other 
person with whom he has conversed, not a solitary indivi* 
dual, among more than two thousand, was seen to move! 

In the course of about a minute, there Was another and a 
similar attempt made to close the meeting, by R. Jordan, E. 
Robson, A. Braithwaite, and some persons occupying the 
second galleries, but it was with the same effect! A profound 
silence now pervaded the whole of this large assembly, and, 
in breathless expectation, every eye seemed riveted with 
intense interest upon the galleries. The whole meeting, si- 
multaneously breaking through the rules of the society, re- 
mained fixed and immoveable, as if controled by some in- 
visible power. Such was the effect, that the beholder might 
have easily conceived himself surrounded by a congregation 
of statues, instead of animate beings. During this interval, 
Mr. Wetherald rose and delivered the following discourse, 
which being succeeded by a few remarks from Elias Hicks, 
a short pause ensued — when Mr. Hicks and Mr. Wetheralfl 
shook hands, and the meeting quietly dispersed. 

Aa 



186 

well quietly retire. But f have felt a concern 
on my mind for the young friends. And what- 
ever truths havQ been deHvered, my dear young 
friends, if they can be applied to our minds, let 
us take them, and be willing to make the appli- 
cation; and if we cannot apply them, let them 
pass for what they are worth. 

J apprehend that the gospel of Christ is sim- 
ple, and thai we need not be alarmed at any ex- 
traneous or outward circumstances. It stands 
not in words, but in that power which is com- 
municated imniediately from God, the Father of 
fights and of spirits, into each of our spirits. And 
I have been looking a little at a record left in the 
scriptures of truth respecting John. He bore a 
high and noble testimony respecting the Mes- 
siah, that Lamb of God who was to take away 
the sin of the world, — for he had a view of his 
outward coming, and of his mission. But re- 
member there was a time after this, when he was 
imprisoned, in affliction, and distress; and this 
wrought so much upon his mind, that, though 
he had been able to bear this testimony, he had 
now to query doubtfully, "Art thou he that 
should come, or do we look for another?" 

And now, my young friends, there is an evi- 
dence sealed upon each one of your minds, in a 
greater or less degreCj of those things which are 



187 

essential in the constitution of a Christian. And 
what are these truths? There is something in 
your minds which reproves for every thing that 
is unrighteous, and all unrighteousness is sin. 
Sin, by indulgence, becomes a positive principle: 
it is not a speculative idea — it does not derive 
its nature from being written, but because it is re- 
provable in the sight of God, and is reproved by 
him. And, therefore, I want us to attend to a Sa- 
viour which is near, " Christ in you the hope of 
glory /^ which preacheth the gospel baptizingly in 
every creature. For the gospel of Christ stands 
not in words, but in power. Though we may be 
like John, and be thrown into prison, and our 
minds become confused, at times, from various 
objects and circumstances; yet there is no alte- 
ration in the divine principle which has hereto- 
fore reproved us. And I want us on these oc- 
casions to be still; and if we find the messengers 
of Christ, so called, are endeavouring to hatch 
up something — some declarations, whether from 
the scriptures or from tradition or former ex- 
perience, believe them not, for we shall receive 
no benefit from the works of nian. 

When the messengers of John went unto 
Christ, saying, "Art thou he that should come? 
Or look we for another.'^" He did not say, I am 
he. " But in that same hour he cured many, of 



188 

their iDfirmities, and plagues, and evil spirits, and 
unto many that were blind he gave sight.'^ He 
healed all the maladies of those who came unto 
him. Here was an evidence indubitable; and if 
we attend unto the operations of Christ, we shall 
receive this indubitable evidence, when our minds 
are prepared for it. " Go,"' said he, " and tell 
John what things ye have seen and heard; how 
that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to 
the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed 
is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." 

Now, my friends, and you, my young friends 
especially, 1 want you to come unto this gospel. 
It stands not in words — I have a higher opinion 
of the coming of Christ, than any external ap- 
pearing unto mankind. 

It was on account of the ignorance of the 
Jews, that laws were given them which were not 
good, and statutes under which they could not 
live. So carnally minded were they, that it be- 
came necessary that there should be a mediator, 
in the outward body, who should speak things 
which never had been spoken, and perform mi- 
racles which never had been performed, in order 
to draw them to something of a higher grade, 
and of a more spiritual nature. And that his 
mission in that prepared body was confined to 



189 

the Jews, is evident from an abundance of con- 
current testimony. When Jesus sent forth hisr 
disciples, he said, " Go not into the way of the 
Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans 
enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of 
the house of Israel." And after he was cruci 
tied and appeared again unto his disciples, he 
told them not to go forth, but to tarry at Jeru- 
salem, till they were endued with power from 
on high. " But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, 
until ye be endued with power from on high.'* 
And after that, they could bear witness to the 
uttermost parts of the earth. But, my friends^ 
those testimonies which they had to bear, were 
borne from the foundation of the world. This 
is that same seed of the woman which was tes- 
tified of, and which was to bruise, and which 
always does bruise the serpentme dispositions of 
man, which constitute sin. This is he that was 
in the church in the wilderness, as it is written. 
" And they did all eat the same spiritual meat, 
and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for 
they drank of that spiritual rock that followed 
them, and that rock was Christ,'^ The same 
living and eternal power, which is the same to- 
day, yesterday, and for ever. And this power 
was manifest, not only in the flesh born of the 
virgin Mary, but it is manifest in your flesh. 



190 

This is a saviour and redeemer, and he is, at this 
day, fulfilling his mediatorial office in us. 

Now look a little at the circumstances attend- 
ing his appearing in that outward body among 
the Jews. Their minds were darkened by pre- 
judice; and the law which came by Moses, or 
the cloudy dispensation, was perverted. It was 
intended to draw them to something of a higher 
nature, than the mere healing of their temporal 
maladies. He gave them many precepts calcu- 
lated to introduce them into the gospel dispen- 
sation, and these were confirmed by miracles. 
For his design was to lead them step by step, 
to bring them nearer to God's salvation, and far- 
ther from those external circumstances which 
had crept in through the hardness of their hearts. 

Now let us look a little at the office which he 
is yet fulfilling among us. He remains to be 
" Christ in you, the hope of glory." Is it not 
from him that we receive every good and perfect 
gift? Is it not the same power which created, 
and which sustains the world. '^ Is it not the same 
manifestation of God that was in the flesh, that 
remains to be a teacher of his people.^ And is 
not he who performs every miracle of a spiri- 
tual nature now, the same that was temporally 
manifested among the Jews.^ Does he not now 
open the blind eyes, and unstop the deaf ears of 



19i 

our understanding? Does he not cleanse the le- 
prosy? does he not raise from a death of sin, to 
a life of God in the soul? And how is this per- 
formed? As he testified to John, it is by the 
gospel preached unto the poor, and that baptiz- 
ingly. And what is this? It stands\not in de- 
clamation. The gospel of Christ stands not in 
words, but in power. And the preaching of that 
gospel in every creature, is that feeling in which 
we are introduced into a sense of suffering for 
every thing of an evil character, or which may 
have a tendency to separate us from God. Ar^ 
there any among us, who can willfully declare, 
that which we know to be untrue, and not feel 
compunction and confusion for it? Are there 
any of us, who can commit an evil act, and not 
feel some kind of compunction, and that in pro- 
portion to the magnitude of our offences? For 
this is preached in every creature; and when we 
turn from it, and run into evil, it brings confu- 
sion, dread, horror, and despair over our minds. 
And is there not a peace, a quiet, a calm which 
is not at our command? 

I dare to testify of these things, my friends, 
but it is not because they are recorded in the 
scriptures of truth, but in the depths of my own 
experience. I am young as well as you; and I 
therefore feel in a special manner for this class 



192 

of my brethren and sisters, of the human family. 
Now as we attend to what passes in our minds, 
whether in the cahii, or in the tempest which 
may be brought upon our mirsds by our disobe- 
dience and forgetfulness of God, each of these 
will become a lesson of instruction; and our un- 
derstanding and views will be enlarged, because 
there will be a continued increase in our expe- 
rience of its operations, whether in reproof for 
sin, or whether we in like manner, come to be 
partakers of its consolations. Our understand- 
ings will be opened by the same power and prin- 
ciple. And where will this stop? I have never 
found a stopping place, and I don't want any of 
you to find a stopping place. And thus, by a 
daily attention to the manifestation of this power, 
we shall be like the unslumbering shepherd of 
Israel — and we shall never come to an ultima- 
tum in religion, and say, this shall be w/yreligon. 
and these my doctrines. 

But here is the whole extent, that ever an in- 
dividual can come to in religion — that is, to at- 
tend daily, to the preaching of this gospel in 
every creature. It will lead into that simplicity 
and humility, which is so much boasted of; but 
of which, we have very little manifestation. It 
will lead us into every heavenly, every manly, 
every social, every civil, and every relative duty; 



193 

and thus we might make every wilderness an 
Eden, and every desert like the garden of the 
Lord. Joy and gladness would be found therein, 
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 

Now this is a kind of doctrine that we can 
all understand; and not come to an ultimatum 
in religion, like those who commence in the 
spirit and end in lifeless form; or begin in the 
spirit and end in the flesh. It is this very cir- 
cumstance, that has brought Christendom into 
that state of confusion in which it is placed. 
We see that a great variety of the first profes- 
sors and the founders of the generality of socie- 
ties with which we are surrounded, and with 
which we are acquainted,.were spiritually mind- 
ed men — men, who according to their measure 
and manifestation were faithful in their day and 
generation, and attended to the light within. 
But their successors, instead of attending to it 
step by step while in the world, by which they 
might have attained a state higher than that 
from which Adam fell, have just set down in 
the form of that of which their predecessors 
felt the power; and thus they all become dead, 
dry, and formal. They must have systems, and 
doctrines, and principles of religion: and their 
doctrines, systems, principles, and religion, alto- 
gether, are a dead form; for they stand not in 

Bb 



104 

the operative power of God. But it is not any 
set of forms that can give us admittance into 
that city, " whose walls are salvation and whose 
gates are praise/^ 

And what is that principle of religion that can 
do this? It is that operative power which leads 
out of evil. If I am a drunkard, and come under 
a principle of temperance, it is a manifestation 
of religion which gives me to see the evil of my 
practice; and in that light there is that divine 
illimitable power which enables me to overcome 
every evil propensity and habit. If I am cruel, 
and am brought under the influence of a principle 
of mercy and walk in its dictates, it becomes to 
me a principle of religion; but because / may be 
thus brought under the influence of heavenly 
virtues, and of religion, it cannot become a prin- 
ciple to any of you, except you feel its power. 
And so it is, through the whole routine of chris- 
tian virtues: these are the principles which con- 
stitute that innumerable company of angels which 
compose the host of God, of which we read in 
the scriptures. 

Thus we come to know the angel of love, to 
cast out the devil of hatred; the angel of mercy, 
to cast out the devil of cruelty; the angel of 
temperance, to cast out the devil of intempe- 
rance; and every ministering angel of God; every 



195 

heavenly and virtuous disposition to take pos- 
session of the mind, and each to cast out its op- 
posite, adversary, or enemy; for love and hatred, 
mercy and cruelty, humility and pride, righte- 
ousness and wickedness, are opposed one to 
another, and cause a warfare. Now let us look 
a little at the consequence of this divine prin- 
ciple of religion which leads to the fulfilling of 
every law. Where would there be room for 
discord and dissensions between individuals, 
squabbles in neighbourhoods, or wars in nations? 
" From whence come wars and fightings among 
you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts 
that war in your members?" But if we are un- 
der the influence of this heavenly principle, every 
perverse disposition will be crucified; we come to 
be crucified with Christ that we may live, not that 
we may live in our sins; but crucified with Christ, 
that we may live: and when we come to take up 
our cross and leave all these carnal lusts, affec- 
tions, and passions, we can then testify, " I am 
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not 
I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I 
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the 
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for 
me/' Here then is the foundation of faith; and 
until we come to have this experimental know- 
ledge of God, we shall not know what it is to be 



196 

reproved for evil, and to have peace spoken to 
our souls for obedience, neither can we have 
any true faith. We may have opinions, senti- 
ments, and beliefs, as the devils have; for it is 
written, that the devils believe and tremble, but 
they are devils still. There is no operative 
principle in mere belief, no renovating influence. 
Faith is the result of an experimental knowledge 
of God, operating upon our spirits, rectifying 
our passions, and subduing every lust. 

And now, my friends, I desire to leave these 
few remarks with you, and I want you not to 
become a carnally minded set of christians, for 
this leads to death: but I want you to become 
spiritually minded, for in this is life and peace. 
It will not only put an end to all difficulties, 
squabbles, and wars, but it will bring us into 
that rectitude of word and action, which will 
make oaths useless. Here is the true founda- 
tion of these two great testimonies to which this 
society have been brought under the influence 
of the spirit of love; for as God is love, and we 
are brought under the influence of God, all wars 
must cease. And the spirit of love is the spirit 
of Christ: and if the causes of wars cease the 
effects must cease also, and on the contrary, so 
truth and lies, or truth and error, never can dwell 
together. For if we are under the influence of 



197 

one of these angels, the other must be a con- 
comitant: thus, if we are under the influence of 
love and truth we never can go to war or lie, 
because this would derogate from the character 
of those principles. And it is not only these two 
testimonies, but our minds being under the in- 
fluence of mercy, here again is the origin of our 
testimony against slavery and the oppression of 
our fellow men. And I apprehend, that while 
our minds are under the influence of mercy, 
we shall never be guilty of an act of cruelty. 

Here is also the original of another testimony, 
against pride and vanity, whether in dress or 
address. It is not the cut of a coat, nor shape 
of a bonnet — it is not any of these external 
things, which some of us have any concern 
about, and we have not been ashamed to con- 
fess it. But when our minds have been brought 
under punishment for pride, every thing to deck 
,or adorn, to gratify the vanity of mankind, will 
be laid by, not merely as useless, but as meretri- 
cious ornaments, tending to increase the moun-' 
tains of opposition which are raised between us 
and our God. Here it is, that those things 
which have the appearance of pride, will be ^s- 
pensed with, and not because it is the mode or fa- 
shion of the societies to which these are united. 
And I verily believe, there is much less pride in 



W8 

some of those who wear fashionable apparel, 
than in those who have adopted a particular 
system of religion, and have come under the 
influence of systematical and Pharisaical self- 
righteousness. I want to explain the origin of 
these testimonies, which this society have to bear, 
not from a disposition to criminate any of you, 
but from a belief in their accordance with the 
impressions made on our minds. For, if we are 
pure, our conduct will be pure; if we are holy, 
our conduct will be holy accordingly; if we are 
humble, we shall appear humble, and walk with 
humility. And if we are under the influence of 
the last, which is the most dignified of the an- 
gels of God, it will show itself through all our 
actions. 

Now, unto that God, who redeemed us by his 
own life, and who is desirous to become a me- 
diator to bring mankind to glory and to virtue, 
to the only true God and Messiah, Jesus Christ 
our Lord, in whom I believe, and by whom I 
hope for salvation here, and in eternity, I desire 
to recommend you, with my own soul. And I 
affectionately bid you farewell. Attend daily ta 
this principle which will bring you out of sin 
and corruption, into the glorious liberty of the 
sons and daughters of God, for where Christ is^ 
there is liberty. 



190 



ELIAS HICKS IN CONTINUATION. 

And if we attend to this, we shall be instruct- 
ed to see, that Christ who followed Israel, never 
»was, and never could be, crucified by the sons 
of men. We are told by the holy apostle, that 
the same rock that they built upon, was the rock 
that followed Israel. "They did all eat the 
same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same 
spiritual drink ; for they drank of that spiritual 
rock that followed them, and that rock was 
Christ.'" And this Christ has never been cruci- 
fied by human power — no outward cross has ever 
taken the life of *this Christ. He has been cru- 
cified from the foundation of the world — a 
lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
For when man was created, the Lord breathed 
into him the breath of life, and he became a 
living soul. Now it is this life of God in the 
soul of man, this innocent life, or lamb of God, 
that was slain by Adam's transgression; and he 
is slain in every one of us, when we ^o into 
Adam and transgress. Thus when Israel was 
coming through the wilderness, every one who 
turned away from the law, which came through 



.300 

Moses, crucified Christ in their own souls; and 
so he is now crucified. This was the view of 
the apostle, that he saw the Lord Jesus crucified, 
long after his ascension, in the streets of Sodool 
and Egypt. And what are these streets but the 
hearts of men? 

That Christ, which is the Saviour of the 
world — that holy anointing which is compre- 
hended in the name Immanuel, that is, God with 
us, never was crucified by the sons of men. 
They crucified only the outward part, the flesh, 
but that was not Christ the Saviour of the soul 
It was that outward animal body, through which 
he did those miracles in saving the Israelites from 
their atHictions. Therefore, it was a part of that 
great figure or type of a superior dispensation. 
It was like a schoolmaster to lead unto Christ, 
the Immanuel, God with us. 

I say, therefore, let us be wise for ourselves; 
and we shall find that this Christ never was cru- 
cified outwardly. But the children of men have 
an opportunity of crucifying him in their own 
hearts. Every evil has a tendency to crucify 
him in the soul, and separate from God. 



SERMON VIIL 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD. 

TOELIVERED AT ROSE STREET MEETING, NEW-YORK, 
SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 4tH, 1826. 

" Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for 
they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather 
into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth 
them. Are ye not much better than they? Which 
of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit 
unto his stature? And why take ye thought for 
raiment? Consider the lihes of the field, how 
they grow: they toil not, peither do they spin; 
and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in 
all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. 
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the 
field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into 
the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O 
ye of little faith?" 

Now where is the instruction, which is to be 
derived from records like this.-^ We acknowledge 
c c 



202 

the superintending providence of the Most High: 
yet, if we would be fed, we must labour; we 
must sow, and reap, and gather into barns. 
If we would be clothed, we must toil and spin. 
And, therefore, I have concluded that these ex- 
pressions are parabolical or allegorical, and that 
they convey lessons of deep and important in- 
struction. The sparrows are fed by the bounty 
of the Most High, for they sow not, neither do 
they reap, nor gather into barns. The lilies are 
clothed, not by their own labour, but by the same 
God who sheds the light of his countenance on 
all the works of his creation: for if there was no 
light for the lily, its beauty would never make its 
appearance; and it is the immediate gift of the 
Most High. But mark, there is no opposition 
in the lily. It is willing to appear in the beauty 
of nature and of nature's God. It is clothed by 
his hand, because it is submissive to his opera- 
tive power. And so, if we come under the same 
state of submission, we shall, by the same opera- 
tive power, be clothed and fed. But all the learn- 
ing and wisdom of man cannot feed the soul, nor 
can all our speculative ideas, notions, and opi- 
nions of religion, bring down bread and clothing 
from God out of heaven. 

It was a declaration of Jesus Christ, when in 
that prepared body in which he came to do his^ 



203 

lieavenly Father's will, that that bread, which 
he would give, was his life, which he would give 
for the life of the world. But are we again turn- 
ing unto external objects? Are we turning to 
that act of unparalleled malignity of the Jewg, 
which crucified him? No, verily, there is another 
spiritual and deeply instructive allusion—-" And 
the bread which I will give is my flesh, which I 
will give for the life of the world." And this is 
synonymous with another declaration. " If any 
one will be my disciple, let him take up his daily 
cross and follow me." It is through the cruci- 
fying operation of his spirit, that we are made 
willing to give up every disposition which would 
separate us from the source of purity. And if 
we are wiUing to " let him that stole, steal no 
more," and whatever evil we have been guilty of, 
to give it up, and avoid it; — and if we are will- 
ing to give up our life — that in which we have 
delighted, and in which our perverted hopes of 
happiness consisted — what is the consequence 
of becoming thus stripped of these perverted 
dispositions? The consequence is, that our life 
comes into unison with the life of Christ, and 
his heavenly dispositions govern us. Thus he 
gives his life unto us, for the life and spirit of the 
world. 

^ere is a happy exchange within our reach; 



204 

if we desire it; but it is not to be gained by toil- 
ing and spinning — by sowing and reaping. It 
is not to be gained by a systematic observance 
and adoption of creeds, systems, articles, or sen- 
timents of religion. For these are distinct from 
the operative power of God. And when we 
come to take up our daily cross and follow him, 
and when we come to know him to sit in judg- 
ment against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 
of men, his life becomes our life and we are 
united to him; and these he is not ashamed to 
call his brethren. And wherefore.^ Because 
they are begotten by the same power, and brought 
forth in the same life. Here is the communion 
of saints — herein is the ground of their faith and 
patience: because this religion is not the result 
of education. They know that Christ has come, 
"whose illimitable power is the resurrection and 
the life. And this is proved by many other corro- 
borative passages of scripture. 

I have remembered a passage which is record- 
ed, that when Christ's disciples were at sea, there 
was a great storm — the sea rose and was tem- 
pestuous against them — they toiled hard, but 
made no advances; and it was not until after 
they were almost spent with rowing, that they 
became wilHng to give up their own labours, and 
to depend on, and come under, the influence of 



205 

this principle. And when this was the case, they 
saw their divine master walking on the sea; for 
he was above the influence of the contending 
elements. " And when they saw him walking 
upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, 
and cried out, for they all saw him and were 
troubled," " And he rebuked the wind, and 
said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the waves 
obeyed him: and immediately the vessel was 
at land." Here we ought to derive instruction 
from this historical account, but we may read it 
from youth to old age, and, if it is not with a 
right spirit, we shall never be instructed thereby» 
And are not many of the parables of Christ him- 
self hid under these allegorical allusions.^ And 
wherefore .f* Because the spirit of this world can 
never extend to an understanding of the nature 
of the case; for they can only be understood in 
that spirit and power which dictated them. 
Therefore I have desired that we may cease from 
doing our own labour and setting up our own 
opinions, and that we may become willing to be 
divested of all religion which is (he result of edu- 
cation and tradition; and no longer suffer our 
opinions to be bounded by prejudice, and limited 
by those narrow, sectarian feelings which these 
traditional principles will assuredly inculcate. 
What have we to do with these things.^ We can- 



^06 

not give to the lily that light from whence its 
beauty proceeds? We cannot command for our- 
selves, one grain of that which is the spiritual 
life of the children of God. Hence the utility 
of that divine command, '' Be still, and know 
that I am God." 

There are a variety of opinions which have 
been produced among christians, and which are 
inconsistent with the nature of Christianity. And 
until they are done away, we never can c^^me 
coolly and quietly to consider and admire the 
works of Providence, and receive the instruction 
which may be immediately received therefrom. 
It was an injunction of the prophet formerly: 
'* Fear not because of the two tails of these 
smoking firebrands, Rezin, with Syria and Re- 
mahah's son." They were commanded to be 
quiet. " In returning and rest shall ye be saved: 
in quietness and in confidence, shall be your 
strength. ^^ And I am not ashamed of the gos- 
pel of Christ, which is the power of God unto 
salvation. I am not afraid to testify unto you, 
that in the stillness of all these fluctuating ima- 
ginations, he will become our guide, for it is in 
the depths of seclusion — when secluded from 
man and all his works,— that we are to know a 
Redeemer, a Christ, a Messiah. And if we know 
him not, each for ourselves — if we do not come 



201 

to know ^' that life is more than meat/^ all our 
performances, all our systematic arrangements, 
will be nothing more than " sounding brass or 
a tinkling cymbal." Religion stands not in the 
power of the imagination, nor in the exertion of 
the rational faculties, though it operates on them. 
What is man.'^ He is a compound being, con- 
sisting in part, of an animal body — he has in 
connection with this, animal, or instinctive fa- 
culties; and by the aid of these, he can fulfil all 
animal, or instinctive duties. These bodies are 
supported by food, and, as other animal bodies, 
they are sensible to heat and cold, and they also 
die and return to, and become incorporated with, 
this mass of earth from whence they sprang. 
But man, who declares himself the noblest work 
of God, claims a higher destiny. And from 
whence does this proceed? As we have an ani- 
mal body, so we have a spiritual body. The 
apostle says, " There is a natural body, and there 
is a spiritual body." And it is the spiritual life 
which is in man, that constitutes the nobility of 
his nature. It is of the nature of the divinity — 
it is a spirit; it is eternal; it is comprehensive. 
It can comprehend things which are of a spirit- 
ual nature. For, as the instinctive faculties lead 
to a fulfilment of animal duties, so do the spirit- 
ual faculties, enable us to perform every spiritual 



208 

duty. It IS by the aid of these spiritual facul- 
ties, that we come to a knowledge of God. Ac- 
cording to the declaration of an eminent apostle, 
" For what man knoweth the things of a* man, 
save the spirit of man which is in him? Even 
so the things of God knoweth no man, but the 
spirit of God.^^ And it is by this combination — 
it is by a union of these spiritual and instinctive 
faculties, that reason is produced — that reason 
which has usurped the place of the higher fa- 
culties. By this we are endeavouring to com- 
prehend God, and by this we are endeavouring 
to form schemes of happiness for ourselves. 
Thus it is, that like the angels, we are endea- 
vouring to rise above our state; and as certainly 
as they fell, through their pride and disobedi- 
ence, so certainly we must fall. And this very 
faculty, which was designed for an incalculable 
blessing, is often perverted to the worst of pur- 
poses. From this perversion, wars and fighings 
are introduced; pride and ambition, and every 
other evil which becomes a disgrace to human 
nature, are carried on, under a pretence and ap- 
pearance of rationality, till it becomes degraded 
below the level of instinct. For, it is a gift 
which may be perverted — the dispositions may 
be corroded — the passions may become evil, and 
deserving crucifixion 



209 

But, my friends, whilst we are under the in- 
iiuence of these spiritual dispositions which are 
only applicable to the soul of man, they are not 
convertable or pervertable — they are one and the 
same, yesterday, to day, and for ever, equally 
with that divine power from which they spring. 

And what is the extent of these rational pow- 
ers? By them is conferred the power of speech, 
and the power of comparing ideas. And by 
these we are enabled to fulfil our social, civil, 
and relative duties one to another. By these 
we are enabled to dive far into arts, sciences, 
and philosophy. And in the enjoyment of these, 
in an unconverted state, consists much of the 
happiness of man in this state of being. But 
all these advantages can never bring us to a 
knowledge of God; yet, under the influence of 
these rational faculties, we may pretend to wor- 
ship God — we may meet together and have some- 
thing to say; — and in many societies, they have it 
prepared beforehand;— -we may preach, pray, 
sing, baptize with water, and partake of bread 
and wine, as symbolical of good things to come, 
but the substance, the body is of Christ. The 
Saviour, the Messiah, is not that Christ which 
Mary conceived, and who was crucified without 
the gates of Jerusalem: for the Messiah is, from 
everlasting to everlasting. His mission among 
Dd 



210 

men commenced with their creation, and will 
continue until the end of lime. It is that power 
of God which is ilhmitHble, which pervades the 
whole creation, and gives life to all his works. 
It operates not merely on man, but it operates 
on all the inferior parts of his creation — it fills 
all place and all space. It 

" Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, 
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees; 
Lives through all life, extends through all extent, 
Spreads undivided, operates unspent ; 
Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, 
As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart ; 
As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns, 
As the rapt seraph that adores and burns." 

Such is the nature, power, and efficacy of 
this divine principle, that it is not far off, that 
any should say, " Who shall go up into heaven 
to bring down Christ from above; or, who shall 
descend into the deep.^ to bring Christ up again 
from the dead: but what saith it.^ The word is 
nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; 
that is, the word of faith vvhich we preach.'^ 
David was sensible of this when he says, 
"Whither shall I go from thy spirit.'^ or whither 
shall i flee from thy presence.^ If I ascend up 
into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in 



211 

hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings 
of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts 
of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, 
and thy right hand shall hold me/' Micah was 
also sensible of the spirituality of this dispensa- 
tion, and of the worship which was acceptable 
unto God, when he says, '' Wherewith shall I 
come before the Lord, and bow myself before 
the most high God? Shall I come before him 
with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of 
rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? 
Shall I give my first born for my transgressions, 
the fruit of my body for the sins of my soul?" 
He appears to be willing to give up all, even the 
hfe of a son; to make every sacrifice, to submit 
to any privation, so that he could find acceptance 
and favour with God. But this was not under 
the power of the cloudy dispensation. And what 
was required of him? There were three things 
required, " He hath showed thee, O man, what 
is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, 
but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk hum- 
bly with thy God.'' 

Here, then, was a rule for his conduct, and 
it remains to be a rule for our conduct; and 
throughout all ages and dispensations of God to 
man, this rule has continued unbroken: but he- 



2n 

cause of the hardness of his people's hearts be 
gave them a dispensation suited to the state ia 
which they had placed themselves by disobedi- 
ence. But it was not permanent; it was not 
operative upon the soul: and when be brought 
them forth, and took them by the hand to bring 
them forth out of the land of Egypt, he made his 
power manifest. " Marvellous things did he in 
the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, 
in the field of Zoan" He commanded them not 
respecting burnt-offerings and sacrifices, "but 
this I commanded you, saying, Obey my voice; 
Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings 
and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the 
Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacri- 
fice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."' This 
declaration was made when pride, folly, and op- 
pression had brought the nations under their full 
influence. And there are a variety of other 
scripture testimonies to prove that under the 
cloudy dispensation, there was a higher state 
attainable than could be attained by the law 
and its observance, — when guided by the spirit 
itself This spirit enabled all the prophets to 
testify of things yet to come: it enabled them ta 
declare a saviour. This enabled Moses to say unto 
them; "A prophet shall the Lord thy God raise 
up unto thee, a prophet from the midst of thee,^ 



213 

©f thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall 
hearken/^ It was also declared by almost every 
succeeding prophet, respecting the coming of the 
Lord Jesus Christ; and also the design of that 
coming. It was said unto the Jews, " Behold, 
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make 
a new covenant with the house of Israel, and 
with the house of Judah, not according to the 
covenant that I made with their fathers." Now 
let us look a little at the covenant delivered on 
mount Sinai, in the midst of darkness, thunder- 
ings, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, 
and the voice of words: but they desired that they 
should not be spoken unto them any more ; but that 
Moses should speak, and they would hear him. 
But the new covenant was to be of another na- 
ture, and to have a very different effect. The old 
covenant came by Moses, and was written on ta- 
bles of stone which Moses did hew. And when 
these tables of stone were inscribed by the finger 
of God, here was the work of man and the work 
of God also. Here was something which formed 
a combination, it was not wholly spiritual. These 
tables of stone carried even on the face of them 
a declaration that there was something natural, 
and that all was not spiritual. But the new cove- 
nant dispensation unto the people was of a very 
different nature ^' I will write mv law in their 



2U 

hearts/' Here it was upon the workmanship of 
his own hands; it was not on tables which men 
had hewn, nor on systems which they had built, 
nor creeds which they had adopted. It was not 
like the faiths and articles of belief which have 
been imposed on the community, to bring them 
into a miserable bondage, and out of the glorious 
liberty of the sons and daughters of God; but it 
was written and engraven on the tablet of every 
heart. " Behold the days come, saith the Lord, 
that I will make a new covenant with the house 
of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not ac- 
cording to the covenant that 1 made with their 
fathers in the day that I took them by the hand, 
to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which 
my covenant they brake. But this shall be the 
covenant that I will make with the house of Is- 
rael. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put 
my law in their inward parts, and write it in 
their hearts; and I will be their God and they 
shall be my people. '^ These laws are merely 
prescriptive, they are not statutory: they are 
not only adapted to the whole conimunity, but 
operative on every individual soul; each being 
under the immediate direction of the Most High. 
They were not intended to apply to any class or 
society, as such, for this could not be done. 
There can be no general rules for the govern- 



ment of mankind, while men are as variously 
circumstanced as we are, and while our disposi- 
tions are as various as the faces which we wear. 
One law can never apply to two individuals; 
one baptism never can purify two souls. 

And what is the baptism under this covenant? 
It is something which operates on the perverse 
dispositions of men. Some are haughty, some 
lofty, some fierce, some cruel, some mild, some 
low, desponding, and ready to despair. Now, 
will the same baptism cleanse the souls of all 
these? No. But a different operation of the 
same power can be adapted to these several 
situations and circumstances. Therefore the 
design and intention is to bring these to their 
proper level. The prophet had allusion to this, 
when he said, "Every valley shall be exalted.'^ 
" The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, 
prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight 
in the desert a highway for our God. Every 
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and 
hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall 
be made straight, and the rough places plain.^^ 
And as a necessary consequence, " the glory of 
the Lord shall cover the earth;" and every 
earthly propensity shall be brought under the 
influence of his power, " as the waters cover 
the sea/' 



216 

These are the effects, the glorious effects ot 
this dispensation of God to man. And where 
are these operations, and what are they? And 
what is the power that writes these laws upon 
our hearts? It is "he that formeth the moun- 
tains, and createth the winds, that declareth 
unto man what is his thought, that maketh the 
morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high 
places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, 
is his name/' " For God speaketh once, yea 
twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, 
in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth 
upon men, in slumberings upon the bed, then he 
openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their in- 
struction." And are there any of us, who have 
arrived at the years of maturity, who have not 
experienced some of these operations? We have, 
I am afraid, in our experience every day enough 
to confirm the belief that we have been endea- 
vouring to crucify the love of God, the princi- 
ple of baptism, to our own hurt, and to put 
Christ to an open shame. And wherefore? Be- 
cause he has no form nor comeliness, that when 
we see him we should desire him, but he is de- 
spised and rejected of men: and wherefore? 
Because our dark and carnal hfe prevents us 
from coming into the life of God, and hinders 
us from experiencing his operative power. And 



211 

hence it is, that we feel not those effects whicli 
are designed to be produced upon us. 

"He is despised and rejected of men, o - ^an 
of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and v;e 
hid as it were our faces fiom him; he was de- 
spised and we esteemed him not/^ You see it 
was written before the days of his outward ad- 
vent, that he is despised ; and it is even so, that 
he is at the present day despised and rejected 
of men. He is a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief; and we have hid, as it were, our 
faces from him. " He was despised, and we es- 
teemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him 
stricken, smitten of God, and aflflicted. Bui he 
was wounded by our transgressions, he was 
bruised by our iniquities; the chastisement of 
our peace was upon him; and with his stripes 
we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone 
astray; we have turned every one to his 
own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the 
iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he 
was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: He 
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a 
sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he open- 
eth not his mouth. He was taken from prison 
and from judgment; and who shall declare his 
generation.'' For he was cut off* out of the land 
Ee 



218 

of the living: for the transgressions of my people 
was he stricken/^ And while we continue in 
disobedience to his prescriptive law, we con- 
tinue to crucify him ; and this is the Iamb which 
was slain from the foundation of the world, and 
from the foundation and superstructure which 
the spirit of the world builds in our hearts. 
When the perverted dispositions, and those 
which are carnal, have the dominion in us, he is 
in us a lamb slain from the foundation of the 
power of all these carnal things. 

I want us all to come out of these things, and 
be separated ; for it is in this corruption that we 
see " mystery Babylon the great, the mother of 
harlots and abominations of the earth/^ For all 
nations and religious communities, who adopt 
systems, have been partakers of the cup of her 
fornications: but I want us to come out of her, 
that we be not partakers of her sins, and that 
we receive not of her plagues. For " her sins 
have reached unto heaven, and God hath re- 
membered her iniquities.^' 

I have no idea at all that this name, Babylojn, 
can be properly applied unto any religious so- 
ciety, but unto all those who have separated 
themselves from God the author of our exist- 
ence. These are they who become partakers 
of the cup of her fornications; and I would to 



219 

God, in my very soul, that she may become strip- 
ped in the view of the nations, and that they 
may see her shame, and that we may hear the 
cry, " Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the 
graven images of her gods he hath broken unto 
the ground.'^ And I apprehend there are many 
idols among us of this character. For whatever 
is contrary to the nature, power, and spirit of 
God, is of this Babylonish character. It leads 
to the same confusion, and is built of the same 
materials that another Babel was built with. 

We may remember the design of this build 
ing. " Let us build us a city, and a toiler whose 
top may reach unto heaven,^^ to preserve us from 
the power of evil. They wanted to obtain a 
victory over the most high God. They wanted 
to raise themselves above the waters of another 
flood, which destroyed their ancesters, instead 
of avoiding the causes which produced such de- 
plorable effects. For, unto the present day, like 
causes will produce like effects; and there are 
abundant waves rolling on in succession, one 
after another, and, when uniting together, they 
form an irresistible flood, which overwhelms and 
destroys the wicked. Whilst they who are obe- 
dient, and who depend on the Most High, will 
experience themselves to be surrounded as by 
an ark of safety. 



220 

And what is this flood and its component parts? 
They are not the floods of waters with which 
we are surrounded — they are not the mountains 
with which we are surrounded — they are the 
waves of pride, and passion, and folly, which 
abound among us. There is a mighty wave of 
dissension, another mighty wave of pride, an- 
other of cruelty, another of oppression, and all 
the innumerable host of dispositions and passions 
in which we indulge. These are the overwhelm- 
ing waves which are combined together to de- 
stroy the wicked, and to separate them from 
God the source of all purity, and that being who 
righteously dispenses deliverance from all these 
floods. 

And this is synonymous with another decla- 
ration of the divinely eagle-eyed apostle, when 
he declared that " there was war in heaven: Mi- 
chael and his angels fought against the dragon, 
and the dragon fought, and his angels, and pre- 
vailed not; neither was their place found any 
more in heaven." And what are these angels.'^ 
They are heavenly dispositions. For " he mak- 
etb his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of 
fire." And I am not ashamed to acknowledge, 
that I have no belief in those angels which are 
represented as women with wings, bearing mes- 
sages from the Most High, through the regions 



221 

of air; and, what if I say, of hell. " And of the 
angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, 
and his ministers a flame of fire? And are they 
not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister 
for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" " And 
the dragon fought, and his angels." And what 
are these angels of the dragon ? " Pride, fulness 
of bread, and abundance of idleness;" together 
with many other perverted dispositions. Surely 
these are the curses and the enemies of the hu- 
man family; and what if I say devils; for they 
are tormentors of mankind. And when we come 
to know the angel of love to cast out the devil 
of hatred, and when our minds are brought under 
the influence of that principle which loves God 
above all, and the neighbour as itself, it will cast 
out the demon of hatred from the mind ; for these 
cannot dwell together. And when the angel of 
mercy shall have cast out the devil of cruelty, 
and the angel of humility shall have cast out the 
devil of pride, the angel of temperance shall have 
cast out the devil of intemperance, the angel of 
hope shall have cast out the devil of despair, the 
angel of innocency shall have cast out the devil 
of guilt, and when every divine spirit, and every 
heavenly disposition, comes to govern and cast 
out every thing of an opposite tendency, these 
waves will be removed, and in the ark of safety 



222 

we shall be raised above all their influence, and 
landed in a situation as immoveable as the moun- 
tain of Ararat. 

Here, my friends, is a religion which is prac» 
tical in its nature, and universally saving in its 
effects. Why then shall we go back to that which 
is less than meat and raiment; yea, less than the 
body? Why continue to labour all the night, 
spending our strength to no purpose? Why con- 
tinue to make brick, and take them for stones? 
Why depend on vain and natural works? 

We read that they took brick for stones, and 
slime they had for mortar. While we are build- 
ing like this, confusion will be the consequence. 
The effect has verified the declaration : for 
mankind have been building a structure like this 
— they have built upon the ingenuity of their 
own rational faculties, and the speculations which 
they have formed: and hence confusion has en- 
sued. One declares this is truth, the other that it 
is error — one is for brick, and another for slime. 
They have neither tried stone which will bear 
the superstructure, nor the mortar of divine love 
to cement it together. And hence it is, that 
confusion becomes worse confounded. They are 
dividing languages, sentiments, and opinions; 
and hence it is, that their language, according to 
the declaration of the scripture, is confounded. 



22S 

They cannot understand, they cannot know each 
other's views — they leave their work, divide and 
separate themselves into various famiUes; and 
here dissension is continued and increased. The 
divine and anointing principle of love is lost 
among them. 

And while under the influence of all these 
discordant principles, men with their ingenuity 
will have dominion over us — they will form com- 
binations, and overwhelm us beneath them. But 
when under the influence of those heavenly 
principles, which are as a flame of fire unto 
Esau, they will form an ark of safety, as cer- 
tainly as ever there was an ark of gopher wood, 
made impenetrable to the least particle of water. 

Noah was commanded to make an ark of go- 
pher wood, and to pitch it within and without 
with pitch. Now here is the substance: then let 
us come a little to the particulars, by which we 
may experience them in our own minds. I can 
not direct you to man, nor to that act of unpa- 
ralleled malignity in the Jews, wherein some do 
rest. For the kingdom of heaven is not built 
upon any act of wickedness. It is not meat nor 
drink, but righteousness, which produces peace 
and joy in the kingdom. And where is it? it 
is not above; neither is it below; neither is it 
east, west, north, nor south. But what is the de- 



224 

claration of Christ? " The kingdom of heaven 
is within you/^ And it is there, we are to look 
for its operations; there we are t© experience 
its power: it is there we are to be governed by 
its laws. " The axe is laid unto the root of the 
trees: therefore, every tree which bringeth not 
forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into 
the fire/^ Here a blow is struck at every evil 
disposition; for it is not merely outward acts of 
wickedness of which this divine law takes cog- 
nizance. As said Jesus, it was written of old 
time, " thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate 
thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your ene- 
mies, bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them that despite- 
fully use you, and persecute you.^^ 

Here, perhaps, is one of the most difficult 
and important commands to fulfil And where- 
fore? Because we do not attend unto the princi- 
ple of love, which casts out hatred; and while 
our minds are under the influence of that feel- 
ing, we can only love our friends, and hate our 
enemies; and we are no better than the Phari- 
sees. But, " Love your enemies." And is this 
impossible.'^ No, verily. It is a high attainment; 
but, if we come under the influence of that spi- 
rit of love, which casts out the devil of hatred, 
there can be no enmity, nor malevolence in our 



225 

minds. And thus we shall be able *' to love our 
enemies, to bless them that curse us, to do good 
to them that hate us, and pray for them that de- 
spitefully use us, and persecute us/^ 

But, now my friends, let us consider. It is 
not merely believing in these precepts, as they 
are recorded; but, it is coming under the influ- 
ence of that divine law, that new covenant-writ- 
ten upon the tablets of the heart, yea of every 
heart; and it ought to be engraven upon the 
horns of every altar. " I will put my law in 
their inward parts: and write it in their hearts; 
and I will be their God, and they shall be my 
people.^^ Now when we come under the influ- 
ence of this love, we cannot hate, for hatred and 
love are enemies; but we can pray for them 
that hate us, and despitefully use us, and perse- 
cute us. It was also said, " Thou shalt not kill; 
thou shalt not steal; and whosoever doeth these 
things, shall die the death."'' But, here the axe 
is laid to the root of the tree — here the judg- 
ments of God are placed against all unrighteous- 
ness and disobedience to his divine law. And 
if we neglect this inward and spiritual law, it 
will bring us back again into those things 
which are external in their nature, and prevent 
us from becoming sanctified, cleansed, and puri- 
fied by that baptism which operates as fire. 

Ff 



226 

It was also written, " Thou shalt not commit 
adultery/^ But Christ said, that " whosoever 
looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath com= 
mitted adultery with her already in his heart/' 

Do not these testimonies place the subject on 
the affections, passions, and dispositions, whence 
evil actions proceed? And if these are rooted 
out, their effects must wither, the leaves must 
fade, the branches must decay: thus the glory of 
the Lord will cover the earth, as the water co» 
vers the sea. But, my friends, these are only 
the effects; let us now come to the causes. They 
are known unto us, but they are small. Where- 
fore.'^ Because we have neglected their opera- 
tion; therefore, we experience not their power. 
There is something in man, which reproves for 
evil. " There is a spirit in man; and the inspi- 
ration of the Almighty, giveth them understand- 
ing." And by the aid of this spirit, they come 
to know him that is true, and to dwell in him 
that is true. " And we know that the son of 
God is come, and hath given us an understand- 
ing, that we may know him that is true, and we 
are in him that is true, even in his son Jesus 
Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 
Little children, keep yourselves from idols." We 
must begin with attending to the voice of him 
that crieth in the wilderness, '' prepare ye the 



221 

way of the Lord, make straight in the desert, a 
highway for our God. Every valley shall be 
exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be 
made low; and the crooked shall be made 
straight, and the rough places plain/' This has 
an evident allusion to the coming of Christ, and 
to that which was declared, " I indeed baptize 
you with water unto repentance, but there stand- 
eth one among you, whom you know not; he 
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire; whose fan is in his hand, and he will tho- 
roughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat 
into his garner; but he will burn up the chaff 
with unquenchable fire/' 

The baptism here testified of, and which is of 
an inward and spiritual nature, is that feeling 
which brings sorrow, trouble, confusion, horror, 
dread, and despair over our minds: and which 
at times, causes those who are in comparative 
innocency, to cry out under a feeling of their 
poor and weak state, a saviour, or I die; a re- 
deemer, or I perish forever. Are there not 
many of us, who have experienced this language 
in the secret of our souls, when our heads have 
been laid on our pillows, and when we have been 
ruminating on things relating to time and eter- 
»ity— when we have sat in our houses, when we 



228 

have walked by the way, when we have lain 
down, or when we have risen up? 

And now, what is it that produces these feel- 
ings in the mind? What is it that brings sorrow, 
trouble, fear, dread, and despair over our minds? 
It is the judgment of the Lord for our sin and 
disobedience. And we need not look at a great 
distance and beyond the grave for judgment. 
We need not look for a local God seated on his 
throne, and keeping an account against us for 
every good or evil action ; but even at the pre- 
sent day. the judgment is set, and the books arc 
opened. And if we continue to do evil, these 
must be the effects, — sorrow, trouble, dread and 
despair: they will assuredly curse us, and lead 
us into confusion and distress, in every act of 
our lives. But if, on the contrary, when we 
feel trouble for any action, we leave that action 
and turn away from it, not rowing against wind 
and tide, and contending with tumultuous bil- 
lows amid the storm of conflicting elements — if, 
when we feel sorrow and trouble for an evil ac- 
tion, we avoid that action, and endeavour to be 
still; and in that calm approach the land, we 
shall find a place of stability, where we can sing 
praises to God upon the banks of deliverance. 

Here are plain and practical truths. And as 
certainly as the indulgence of pride, fulness of 



229 

bread, abundance of idleness, cruelty, annbition, 
and other evils, have a tendency to afflict man- 
kind, and to operate as a curse upon them; so 
certainly, will humility, love, mercy, temperance, 
and patience, confer blessings on every act, and 
bring peace, joy, and consolation, over our spi- 
rits. And our reward is not uncertain — it is not 
at a great distance — it is not beyond the grave: 
for the kingdom of heaven is within you. And 
if we are disobedient unto its laws, we bring our- 
selves unto the gates of hell. And what are 
these devils, these tormentors, if they are not 
the sense of evils which we have committed^ 
and which bring trouble over our minds? There- 
fore, I feel no hesitation in coming to the con* 
elusion, that every individual who has fallen 
from the witness for God in his own mind, has 
crucified God afresh, and put him to an open 
shame; and every man who has cast out the an- 
gel of the divine presence, and cultivated an 
aversion for all the heavenly dispositions, such an 
individual constitutes a fallen angel: and every 
fallen angel is a devil. 

Now under this view of the subject, we need 
not say who shall ascend into heaven to bring 
Christ down from above? Or, who shall descend 
into the deep, to bring Christ up from thence? 
The word is nigh thee, even in thy heart and 



2S0 

in thy mouth, to hear it and do it. This princi- 
ple which reproves for evil, is instructive, for 
here we come to a knowledge of that which 
God hath a controversy with, in each individual; 
and the proud will feel the effects of pride, and 
if cruel, he will perceive the fatal effects of cru- 
elty, and that which brings sorrow, will create 
an abhorrence of it. And thus it is, that the blind 
eyes are opened — thus it is, that the spiritual 
ears are unstopped, to hear the voice of wisdom; 
and by the operation of the same process, every 
malady of the soul becomes healed, and we are 
raised from a death of sin, to a life of Christ. 
And this is by the power of the gospel, which 
is4)aptizingly preached in every creature. And 
thus we have a fulfilment of the whole declara- 
tion, that the gospel of Christ is the power of 
God unto salvation to all who believe, whether 
Jew or Gentile. 

Now in the performance of these acts, there 
is a daily obedience and a daily manifestation. 
We find that this new law is not statutory but 
prescriptive, and adapted to every state and con- 
dition. And as some are lofty, proud, and 
fierce; these are brought under sorrow and 
trouble — brought under the correcting power of 
whaf is called conscience; these feel the effects 
of their own works, and they receive the reward 



231 

of their own works. " Say ye to the righteous , 
that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat 
the fruit of their doings. Wo unto the wicked I 
it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his 
hand shall be given him." As we attend daily 
to these manifestations, they will bring down the 
mountains of pride, and all those things which 
are above the witness for God in our souls; and 
the low and despairing will at times become 
partakers of the cup of his consolation, and be 
raised into firmness, the crooked and perverse 
dispositions will be made straight, and the rough 
places plain. 

Thus mankind, through very different opera- 
tions of the same baptism, will be brought to 
that mighty level in which the glory of the Lord 
will cover the earth, and every earthly and evil 
propensity will be brought under his influence 
as the waters cover the sea. Here it is, that we 
must experience this wilderness of desolation to 
become an Eden, and this desert '- like the gar- 
den of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found 
therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.^' 
And it was this view of the subject that the pro- 
phet had, when he saw that coincidence and 
accordance of all the various dispositions whicli 
he describes; and where the most ravenous and 
vicious dispositions unite with those the most 



232 

meek and harmless — " The wolf also shall dwell 
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down 
with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, 
and the falling, together, and a little child shall 
lead them. And the cow and the bear shall 
feed; their young ones shall lie down together; 
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And 
the sucking child shall play on the hole of the 
asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on 
the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt nor 
destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth 
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as 
the waters cover the sea.'' 

Thus we see that every rancorous disposition 
will be brought to meekness, and that there will 
be none to destroy. These are the ejffects of 
the gospel of Christ; and this is the nature of 
true Christianity. And until these effects are 
produced, and thus experienced in our minds— 
though morning, noon, and evening we may 
pray, and lift up our voice like a trumpet, and 
bow down the head like a bulrush, and call it 
prayer, or adopt systems, and speculative theo- 
ries of religion, all will be useless and unavail- 
ing: for the kingdom of God stands not in words, 
but in power; not in opinions, but in obedience. 
It stands not in sentiments, nor in the exertion 
of our rational faculties in rowing all day 



g33 

through the tempestuous sea of speculation: but 
it stands in, and is supported by, an intrinsic in- 
ternal power, which gives us the victory over all 
opposing dispositions, and in the ark of safety 
we are raised above all fluctuating elements. 
And here we come to know a mighty angel to 
fly through heaven, preaching the everlasting 
gospel; not with the wisdom of words, but with 
power. " And I saw another angel fly in the 
midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel 
to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, 
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, 
and people; saying with a loud voice. Fear God, 
and give glory to him, for the hour of his judg- 
ment is come: and worship him that made hea- 
ven, and eartli, and the sea, and the fountains 
of waters/^ 

Now, my friends, I have not declared these 
things unto you boastingly, or as though I had 
already attained, either were already perfect; 
but I trust I am endeavouring to follow after, if 
haply I may rise into that state which is designed 
for me, or, as said the apostle, " apprehend that 
for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus/' 
And in this I would not direct you unto him as 
an external offering. But I commend you to 
God, the author of your existence. And I again 
commend you, unto him, aijd the word of his 

Gg 



234 

grace, which is able to save your souls, and to 
give you an inheritance among them that are 
sanctified. And you may individually attain to 
that state, in which you will see a mighty angel 
stand with one foot upon the earth, and the other 
upon the sea: and when every earthly propen- 
sity, and every speculative operation shall be 
brought under his influence, he shall lift up his 
right hand to heaven and swear by him that 
liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and 
the things that therein are, and the earth and 
the things that therein are, and the sea and the 
things which are therein, that time shall be no 
longer- 



SERMON IX. 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD.. 

DELIVERED AT HESTER STREET MEETING, NEW- 
XORIt, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 4TH, 1826. 

" The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, 
the work of men's hands.'' They were formed 
of materials which were the most valuable and 
delightful in their view. And in all ages it has 
been proved, that men worship that in which 
they most delight. There are thousands in the 
present day, who have said unto gold, by the lan- 
guage of their conduct, thou art my god, and 
unto fine gold, thou art my confidence. And 
placing their dependence on these external things 
— their hopes of happiness on things that perish, 
they have become entangled in the heathenish 
nature, and have become worshippers of idols. 

And what are the characteristics of these idols .'^ 
"They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes 
have they, but they see not. They have ears, 



236 

but they hear not; neither is there any breath in 
their mouths/^ They have the appearance of 
something which is ahve, but they have not the 
attributes of which hfe is composed. They have 
the pohsh of gold and the beauty of silver, but, 
after all, they are nothing but dumb idols. " Eyes 
have they, but they see not; ears have they, but 
they hear not; neither have they any breath in 
their mouths. They that make them are like 
unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them." 
For these see not with their own eyes, hear not 
with their own ears, and understand not with 
their own hearts; but are dependent on the opi- 
nions of others. Fo no idol, whether silver or 
gold, can promulgate laws for the government of 
a single individual, splendid as it may appear, or 
superb as its workmanship may be. It is a dead 
idol, an inanimate god, and of a corruptible na- 
ture; and they that ma- . them are like unto 
them; having neither eyes to see, ears to hear, 
nor hearts to understand. They are dependent 
on those who made the idols for laws to govern 
them: they are dependent on systems, opinions, 
prejudices of education, and tradition, for their 
views. And thus all are blind together, and ful- 
fil the declaration, "when the blind lead the 
blind, they both fall into the ditch," and become 
besmeared and entangled by their own corrup- 



237 

tions. But they cannot rise into the beauty of 
that holiness, which can only be attained by an 
individual and perspective view of Him, who 
first created the world and continues to sustain it. 

" The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, 
the work of nien^s hands. Eyes have they, but 
they see not; ears have they, but they hear not; 
neither is there any breath in their mouths; 
and they that make them are like unto them; so 
is every one that trusteth in them/^ Here are 
workmen and works all of one nature. And as 
this is true of idolatry, so, on the contrary, if 
we are governed by the immediate operation of 
the spirit of God, the workmen and their works 
must partake of the same nature, and be govern- 
ed by the same power, and animated by the same 
life. The same streams of vitality are united 
among them, and consequently they are par- 
takers of the same divine nature. Thus they 
have eyes and they see, ears and they hear, 
hearts and they understand; and, therefore, they 
can speak and testify, not what books have told 
them, or what they may have received from 
books or men, but they can testify of what their 
own eyes have seen, their ears heard, and their 
hands handled of the good word of life and 
power of the world to come. 

Now, my friends, see the mighty distinction 



238 

and difference between these, fhough their 
idols may be formed of the most valuable mate- 
rials, and may be embellished with all the splen- 
dour of human art, the workmanship complete, 
the finishing superb, yet they cannot see with 
their eyes, nor hear with their ears; neither can 
they animate us, or direct us to peace and virtue, 
or to an experience of religion or spiritual truth. 
But, on the contrary, those who are begotten of 
God, and who have known Christ brought forth 
in themselves — these can learn to see with their 
own eyes, hear with their own ears, understand 
with their own hearts, and be converted by their 
own experience. And here is all the difference 
that I know of, among the professors of religion. 
The distinctions are not between Papists and 
Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, 
or (Quakers. No; if there is any distinction, it is 
between the living and the dead. " For to him 
that is joined to all the living, there is hope; for 
a living dog is better than a dead lion." And 
wherefore.'* Because a living dog can perform 
all the functions of which his nature is capable, 
but the lion, when he is dead, though he may 
make a formidable appearance, is still fast has- 
tening to corruption. Though he may have the 
appearance of strength and vigour, still he is dead 
and inanimate. There is no circulating medium 



239 

to give vitality to his system, or enable him to 
perform the functions of a living lion; and he is 
hastening to that mass of corruption from v^^hence 
he sprang. 

Now there is a query in my mind, and a query 
with which all are interested more or less. Are 
we numbered among the living or the dead? Are 
we animated by the immediate power and life of 
God? Or are we merely making a profession of 
his name, and living under the influence of pas- 
sions and propensities which are discordant with 
his nature? If we are fulfilHng all the rituals of 
the various religious societies in Christendom, 
and our hearts are not changed, we are only add- 
ing hypocrisy to idolatry, and are lying unto God. 
But if, on the contrary, we are individually en- 
deavouring to do justly, to love mercy, and to 
walk humbly with our God, though we may be- 
long to no name or religion, and be distinguished 
by no particular appellation, yet shall these grow 
in that love which is the crown and diadem of 
all the saints' assemblies. 

Now, my friends, we hear of a great variety 
of religious principles, opinions, and doctrines. 
And whence have they their origin ? I have been 
led to look at the time in which Jesus appear- 
ed in the flesh: and when his forerunner bore 
testimony of him, and required of the people 



240 

that they should repent. And wherefore? Be- 
cause, said he, " the kingdom of heaven is at 
hand." Now here was nearly the whole extent 
of the preaching of John. He baptized with an 
outward element, which was water, and typical of 
that which was to succeed it among the Jews, to 
regulate the passions and affections, and to cru- 
cify the lusts; thus cleansing the heart from 
dead works, to serve the living God. Now here 
was designed to be the end of this operation; 
for according to the declaration of John, " He 
must increase, but I must decrease.^^ And when 
testifying of the coming of the Messiah, and of 
that baptism which should accompany his inward 
and spiritual appearing, he said, "I baptize with 
water; but there standeth one among you, whom 
ye know not. He it is, who coming after me, 
is prefered before me; he shall baptize you 
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.^^ And there 
are a variety of testimonies recorded in the New 
Testament, which go to prove the spirituality of 
this dispensation, and its effects upon the mind 
of each individual. And there is nothing to in- 
duce any of us to believe that this dispensation 
is adapted to a community of Papists; because 
there is nothing which is appUed unto them; 
neither to Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists, 
Unitarians, nor Universalists. It is not a religion 



241 

of this kind or nature. The laws which ought 
to govern us, come under the influence of the 
spirit of Jesus Christ. They are of an indivi- 
dual nature, and his baptism is of an indivi- 
dual nature. It stands not in water, nor any 
outward element. All types have ceased since 
the comimg of our Lord Jesus Christ. The 
substance has come, which is the resurrection 
and the life. And shall we go back to beggarly 
elements, which perish with the using? Why go 
back to meats and drinks, to washings and car- 
nal ordinances, to days, and times, and months, 
and years; and, what if I say with the apostle, 
unto "the principles of the doctrine of Christ?'^ 
But what have we to do with principles and doc- 
trines? There is opened unto us a new and liv- 
ing way, even that which is within the vail. 
According to the declaration of the Messiah, " I 
am the way, the truth, and the life:" and it is 
this life which produces righteousness, peace, 
and joy, in every holy spirit. 

The baptism of John was a preparatory 
operation. It was only designed to open the 
way, according to the declaration, "I am the 
voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare 
ye the way of the Lord, as said the prophet 
Esaias; make his paths straight." And when 
these effects are produced, and the paths made 

Hh 



242 

straight, what is the consequence? '^ Every val- 
ley shall be exalted, and every mountain and 
hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be 
made straight, and the rough places plain/^ And 
as a necessary consequence, " the glory of the 
Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the 
sea." Now the apostles were led into this bap- 
tism, for they knew its power. Jesus Christ de- 
clared unto his disciples before he drank of that 
deep cup of suffering, which the Jews allotted 
to him, that it was expedient for him to leave 
them. And wherefore? Because they had been 
placing their dependence in an external medium, 
— they were looking to his doctrines, precepts, 
and opinions. They wanted to come to an ulti- 
matum in religion. They were not willing to 
be learning in a progressive manner, to be first 
young men, then strong men, then elders in Christ. 
They were willing to abide where they were ; 
they were willing to settle down there. They did 
not want to try fresh ground; they were afraid 
of untrodden paths. But he did not want them 
to settle down in the baptism of John, and the 
precepts which he had given them. And there- 
fore, he said, " It is expedient for you that I go 
away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will 
not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send 
him unto you.'' This is the spirit of truth, 



243 

which the world never can receive, and which it 
never has received. Its operations can only be 
understood, when we come under the influence 
of that principle which speaks peace for every 
act of obedience. It is here that we come to 
understand this; and it is only as we come under 
the influence of this principle of light and life, 
and under the influence of the Comforter that 
was promised, that we come to be delivered from 
the power of the world, with its passions and 
propensities, the maxims and opinions thereof. 

It is only as we come into this state, that we 
can be delivered from the power of idols, formed 
of costly materials, but which want vitality, which 
want that which they have not, that circulating 
medium which gives life to the whole system. 
These dumb idols " have eyes, but they see not; 
ears have they, but they hear not; and they that 
make them, are like unto them.^' So it is with 
all the systems that men have formed, their 
creeds, confessions of faith, and articles of be- 
lief, whatever they may be; made not to rectify 
the conscience, but to bring the community into 
bondage to them. They are all of this idola- 
trous nature. 

But as God is one, so is his power one, and it 
proceeds from the same illimitable source; and 
therefore, my friends and fellow professors, by 



2U 

whatever name you may be called, for I know 
no distinction nor difference, i want us to come 
under the influence of this monitor, who is able 
to open the understanding: I want us to be 
actuated by the spirit of God, in whom there is 
vitality, and not by dead idols; but by one who 
can open the blind eyes, and unstop the deaf 
ears of our understanding; one who can give us 
a victory over every evil propensity, passion, and 
lust; one who can enable us to fulfil every social, 
civil, and relative duty; one who can be found, 
not only at a great distance and beyond the 
grave, but whose spirit is now teaching us what 
is to be known of God, for " that which is to 
be known of God, is manifest in men/^ And 
wherefore? "Because God has shown it unto 
them/^ And therefore, it was expedient for his 
followers, that Jesus should go away. " For if 
I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto 
you^ but if I go away, I will pray the Father, 
and he will send him unto you; and when he is 
come, he will remind you of all that I have told 
you/' 

Now this is conformable to another declara- 
tion — " The grace of God that bringeth salvation, 
liath appeared unto all men, teaching us, that, 
denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts, we 
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in 
this present world: looking for that blessed hope, 



24>5 

and the glorious appearing of the great God, and 
our Saviour Jesus Christ/' And where are we 
to look for this appearance? Is he not a go- 
vernor and ruler? is he not the king and w^on- 
derful counsellor? And remember "the kingdom 
of heaven is within you;" and it is there we must 
look for his appearing, and there we must expe- 
rience his power. We need not go to a great 
distance and beyond the grave to find God; we 
need not descend into the depths to find a devil; 
for we can find one in ourselves : for every 
perverted disposition is a contradiction of the 
divine harmony, and every lust indulged, thus 
constitutes in us a minister of evil. They are of 
an antichristian nature, and they are devils. 

Now I want us to come into a situation in 
which we need not look at a great distance, and 
beyond the grave, for rewards or punishments; 
I want us to come into that situation which was 
the design of Jesus, when in speaking to his apos- 
tles and followers, he told them, it was expedient 
that an internal comforter should come, after he 
should be called away by that act of malevolence 
and wickedness of the Jews. Here the declaration 
was fulfilled, that he should bear our sins. And 
how did he bear them? Did he bear them for 
you and I when he suffered the utmost stretch 
of human malevolence in his own body? No: 



246 

it was not that our sins which we commit should 
be washed away thereby. But he opened a way 
for the Jews, who had depended on external 
oiOferings; he opened unto them a new and Hving 
way into that which is within the vail. And 
what was his crucifixion .-^ As it was an act of 
unparalleled wickedness in itself, it could not work 
the righteousness of God. 

I have no hope of salvation in the death of 
Christ; but in his life and the power of his re- 
surrection, in that divine spirit which actuated 
him in all his movements, and caused him to be 
anointed with the oil of gladness above his fel- 
lows. And while the apostles continued in this 
doctrine in the breaking of bread from house to 
house; while they continued faithful in the per- 
formance of these spiritual duties, there were 
added daily to the church such as should be 
saved. But as those who were the immediate 
followers of Jesus, were taken away to receive 
their rewards, one by one; there arose another 
company, another generation; and these brought 
more of human learning, together with a little 
more subtlety in abstruse questions and abstract 
propositions; and from hence flowed divisions of 
sentiment: and the further they removed from 
the power of God, the more powerful did these 
abstract propositions become, till they were 



wrought into a kind of philosophy, which could 
puzzle but not instruct the mind. 

This state continued and increased, till, in two 
or three centuries, various churches which had 
been united, became divorced from each other. 
They soon arrived at a state in which each could 
assail the other through envy and jealousy: 
and here was an inlet to still greater evils, which 
grew and increased. For it is a maxim which 
cannot be controverted, that every step in evil 
opens the way for increasing wickednes: and 
on the contrary, every step which we take 
in the path of obedience to the divine manifes- 
tations, has a tendency to strengthen us and pre- 
pare us to advance with more firmness in the 
path of righteousness, which is the path of peace. 

And we may remember, that about two cen- 
turies after the propagation of this christian dis- 
pensation among the Jews, such were the doubts 
and divisions, that bishops, governors, and rulers, 
fell into dissensions with one another, and creeds 
and systems began to be introduced. And from 
whence did they come? They were produced 
by the theological seminaries in the land of 
Egypt, the house of bondage. For here it was 
that they began, under a perversion of this dis- 
pensation, instead of ministers preaching in the 
demonstration of the spirit of the gospel And 



248 

it was in Alexandria, that these differences first 
originated. And I want us to be careful in tracing 
these evils; for they have not their origin in the 
christian dispensation ; they stand not in the na- 
ture of the christian religion itself, but in a per- 
version and dereliction of its principles. It has 
been by substituting a religion of idols in its 
place, and oppositions of science, falsely so call- 
ed, that they have been introduced into the 
christian religion. And thus darkness was in- 
creased day by day, till now instead of cultivat- 
ing the mind that was in Christ, there was a dis- 
position to show who could become the most 
subtle reasoners in support of this or the other 
party. Then councils were called to decide on 
what should be considered faith, and what not; 
this was pronounced canonical, and that hereti- 
cal or heterodox. The books of the Old and 
New Testament came under this supervision. 
Some were pronounced canonical, and others 
heretical; while some which had been pro- 
nounced canonical were now become heretical. 
Here, my friends, is the origin of this mass of 
confusion, this mass of false philosophy, this mass 
of tradition; and here is the foundation of the 
present systems of the Christian religion. The 
scriptures, wjjiich had thus undergone the revi- 
sion of variotis councils, and which, at different 



249 

times, had been pronounced spurious and ca- 
nonical, became the ground of faith and prac- 
tice. They were declared to be the word of 
God, and the rule of faith and practice. But h 
the word of God thus changeable, and subject 
to the caprice of men and the false philosophy 
of the times .^ Is it to be supported by opinions 
and traditions, or to be cast down by the same? 
No, verily. But that which is the true word of 
God was from everlasting to everlasting. It is 
immoveable and immutable. It cannot be twist- 
ed and turned by the opinions of men. It cannot 
be shaken. It is divine. It stands in the immut- 
able power of God. 

But now the scriptures had become a test of 
faith and practice; and as the various councils 
had decided what should be canonical or hereti- 
cal, so did others abide by the precepts of their 
leaders. There was a new power created: they 
had lords over the heritage — a kind of priesthood^ 
who were regularly educated, who declared the 
opinions that they had imbibed from tradition and 
education. Here was the ground-work of dark- 
ness, and darkness was added to darkness, till 
mankind were brought into that dismal state of 
apostacy, which, for many centuries, overspread 
Europe. The true church fled into the wilder- 
i i 



250 

BCSS, and the floods, which the dragon cast out 
of his mouth, were too high for her to return. 

After a while there were other spirits raised 
up — there were Galvin, Luther, and others. 
These were raised up to bear testimony againsi 
a few of the superstitions and absurdities of the 
age in which they Hved; and some of them sealed 
their testimony with their blood, after having 
borne many persecutions for Christ's sake, and 
for the sake of the gospel. But their views were 
dim — they were like a mere twilight; but they 
were as much as could be borne, in that dark 
night of apostacy. These individuals were faith- 
ful; and, I have no doubt, they were anointed of 
God: they were stepping stones to the revolution 
and reformation which was brought about in 
public sentiment. 

But they saw not all; and here is the misery 
of it, that their followers, like some of old, have 
wanted to come to an ultimatum in religion, and 
have therefore been willing to sit down with 
Calvin and Luther, with full assurance. Instead 
of attending to that divine light which led them^ 
and instead of advancing from that ground, they 
settled down upon the platform that they had 
builded. They merely came into the form of 
that of which Calvin and Luther had felt the 
power. And, even at this day, is it not obvious 



251 

that the Oalvinists and Lutherans boast of their 
originals, but will not step one step further than 
where these reformers left them? And why is it, 
that we had rather eat the bread that others have 
laboured for, than use our own? We are willing 
to become partakers in their religion, but are not 
willing to come into that state ourselves to which 
they attained — to understand with our own hearts^ 
and to be converted by our own experience. 

In process of time others were raised up, and 
certain individuals were enabled to make an- 
other step further forward; and again the fol- 
lowers jof these took their stand, and have stood 
in the form of that of which the reformers felt 
the power. There was a Wesley and a Whit- 
field who were brought a little on the way-^an- 
other step; but their followers remain stationary. 
There are thousands of the followers of these 
bright and shining lights, who are standing in the 
form which has been given them; but they are 
nothing better than dead lions. They have the 
appearance of religion, but they want the circu- 
lating medium. They want the power of God^ 
and as they have it not, they are like the dead 
lion, formidable in appearance. They are mighty 
in external performances, and for want of that 
humility which is the result of Christian expe- 
rience, they have been loud in praying, preach- 



252 

ing, and singing. Hence I believe there is in 
this and other societies, so much of those inde- 
cent performances which are a disgrace to human 
nature, such as dancing, falling down, shouting, 
and jumping: and under this animal excitement 
they have continued till human nature has been 
wearied v> ith exercise, and, when the storm has 
left a calm, this has been called conversion. But 
it is nothing more than animal excitement, and 
the calm is nothing but a cessation of the storm, 
which has spent its force. 

I want not to carry charges against any society 
— I am not blaming the followers of Wesley or 
"Whitfield; there are those who have produced the 
same effects in every society. Even the follow- 
ers of Fox, Penn, and Barclay, cannot be drawn 
one step further than the place where they left 
them. We appeal unto them as fathers, not- 
withstandi' g we are commanded to call no man 
father or master, " for one is your master, even 
Christ, and all ye are brethren." While we are 
looking backward, we never can see to go for- 
ward. We know that, in our natural body, we 
can never move safely forward while we are 
looking backward, and so it is in a spiritual sense. 
But I want os to come to understand the nature 
of these things — to come into the power of reli- 
gion. 



25^ 

Now, in the dark night of apostacy, which 
overspread Christendom, the priesthood gained 
great power over the consciences of the people: 
they sat in the place of God, above all that is 
called God or worshipped. They assumed the 
power and prerogative of pardoning sins, and 
granting indulgences to sin; which was contrary 
to the nature and power of the christian dispen- 
sation. Thus they imposed heavy burthens on 
the properties and consciences of the people. 
They made a purgatory and undertook to deli- 
ver souls from purgatory for money, the love of 
which is the root of all evil. 

Is there any religion in such things as these? 
Can any man rationally believe religion can con- 
sist in such notions as these.'' No: but it is the 
result of tradition, education, and credulity. Men 
may attempt to believe it, but never can believe 
it, except they have the minds of children; for 
if we believe this, it is without evidence. It is a 
faith, but it is not a saving operative faith; it is 
not powerful in itself; it is not that faith which 
works by love, and which is saving in its eifects. 

But when the reformation came, so great was 
the love of money, and so deeply rooted were 
the priesthood, that it has never been expelled 
from any of these reformed systems; and even 
at the present day are not teachers preaching 



254> 

for hire and divining for money? And even in 
this boasted land of Hberty, they are ready to 
declare war against all who do not put into their 
mouths. I have said it, and I am not afraid to 
say it again, that I have never seen an account 
of any nation where the inhabitants were in 
more absolute ecclesiastical bondage than in this 
boasted land of liberty. They appoint teachers, 
believe their declarations, and under the influ- 
ence of these false opinions they indulge a spu- 
rious and interested ministry, a ministry which 
stands not in the power of God, but in the wis- 
dom of man. 

And have not their opinions and creeds, sen- 
timents and practices, subverted the Christian 
church.'^ Yet how zealously have mankind en- 
gaged in support of theological seminaries; and 
for the support of gospel ministers, so called.^ 
But it is an absurdity! It is an impossibihty, it 
is out of the power of man, and of the arts, sci- 
ences, and philosophy, to constitute one single 
solitary minister of the gospel. 1 know of no 
medium by which a minister of the gospel can 
come rightly to stand in that station, except he 
be called of God, as Aaron was called. He can- 
not be qualified to preach the gospel, except in 
the school of Christ. And what is to be learned 
there? I apprehend^ the principal part of the 



255 

learning necessary, nay, all, may be acquired 
in the school of Christ. It teaches us to re- 
gulate every affection, to crucify every passion, 
to subdue and overcome every lust, and every 
propensity v^rhich separates us from the source 
of purity. And it is not till these effects are 
produced, that we can ever come rightly to be 
ministers of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. We may be ministers of idols, 
which can neither see nor speak, and in which 
there is not the breath of life: but we can not be 
ministers of the Hving God unless we are go- 
verned and actuated by his power and spirit, and 
receive immediately of his divine inspiration. 
Here we come into obedience to the word of 
God, and this becomes our rule of faith and 
practice. 

And is it not obvious, that when men with in- 
terested minds undertake to preach the gospel 
of Christ, they will preach conformably to their 
own views? Is it possible that men, receiving 
one, two, three, or four thousand dollars a year, 
can faithfully testify their sense of the slips and 
wickedness of those who employ them.^ No; this 
fault must be covered, and that weakness over- 
looked, because they preach for hire, and divine 
for money, ** whose God is their belly, and whose 
glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things/'^ 



256 

It is the blind leading the blind, and both must 
fall into the ditch. And have they not formed 
an abundance of societies, which bear the names 
of benevolent societies, missionary societies, bible 
societies, mite societies, cent societies, and an 
abundance of others: and what is the main- 
spring of all these? It is money, — it is not any 
particular virtue, or any requisition of the divine 
power upon their own minds; but money, money, 
is the mainspring of action. And do we not 
hear daily complaints, that when this is with- 
drawn they must fall to the ground.^ 

Is then the church of God going to be built 
up with money, the love of which is the root of 
evil? No, verily; if ever the foundation is rightly 
laid, it must be laid where it was declared that 
it must be laid: "For other foundation can no 
man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
Now, if any man build upon this foundation, 
gold, silver, precious stones, vi^ood, hay, stubble; 
every man's work shall be made manifest: for 
the day shall declare it, because it shall be re- 
vealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's 
work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, 
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a 
reward." Though he may build of these mate- 
rials, he can only receive the reward of his own 
works; but this will not bring peace from God, 



251 

and advance him in the way of the kingdom of 
heaven. " If any man's work shall be burnt, he 
shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; 
yet so as by fire." Because having submitted to 
the fire, its operation is to rectify every passion, 
lust, and perversion of the mind; and this is the 
baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is represented 
as operating like fire against all unrighteousness 
and ungodliness of men. 

How vain and how futile is the idea that men 
whom men have chosen, called, and appointed 
to explain abstract, abstruse, metaphysical spe- 
culations upon Christianity, can ever become 
rightly qualified for the ministry of Christ! They 
may be able to administer the ordinances of the 
church ~ to wash us in water and call it baptism 
— to administer bread and wine and call it com- 
munion; but all the waters of the sea can never 
cleanse a soul of one sin or lust. And all the 
bread and wine, among all the nations of the 
earth, can never nourish up the soul unto ever- 
lasting life. 

They may say that all these are typical of 
good things yet to come — that they are figurative 
and symbolical. But, my fellow professors, are 
we yet as children under the schoolmasters of 
types, figures, and symbols, when the law is ful- 
filled, and when the power is come — that power 
K k 



258 

which is the resurrection and the life? If ever 
we are baptized into the nature of Christ, it 
must be into the nature of Christ's death; — we 
must be crucified with him. It was his human 
nature that was crucified, and it must be our 
natural afiections and corrupt views. This the 
apostle had a view of, when he declared, " I am 
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not 
I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I 
now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the 
Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for 
me. 

Now that baptism which is of water, it is ob- 
vious, can never cleanse the soul of one single 
sin, and neither can bread and wine nourish up a 
single soul to eternal life. But if we come under 
the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which operates 
as fire upon all unrighteousness and ungodliness 
of men, we shall not come under the influence 
of a teacher whom men can pay, whose god is 
his belly, whose glory is his shame, who minds 
earthly things. The sublime truths of this dis- 
pensation need not to be brought under the power 
of any teacher, but the " minister of the sanc- 
tuary, and of the true tabernacle, which God has 
pitched, and not man ;" and this teacher is " Christ 
in you, the hope of glory.^^ And as we come un- 
der the influence of that baptism which is spirit- 



259 

yai, we shall find that it will bring sorrow and 
trouble over our minds for every thing which is 
evil. 

Is there an individual among us who can say 
that which is not true, and feel no sorrow for it? 
We can hide this before our fellow men, but 
there is a witness for God in our own souls, 
which will bring confusion, horror, and dread, 
for every act of evil. And have we not all ex- 
perienced conviction for these evils, in such a 
way as to convince us that it is not the result of 
education, tradition, or any system which we 
have adopted? No. It is God in man. It is 
" Christ in you, the hope of glory." It is Christ 
manifest in your flesh, come to rule in his own 
kingdom, and to govern by his own laws. And 
" a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of his 
kingdom.^' And it is this that rules with a rod 
of iron over all unrighteousness and ungodliness 
of men. And we can none of us commit an evil 
act with impunity. 

I know it is written, that the conscience may 
become seared as with a red hot iron. Well, 
my friends, agreed that it may become seared, 
so that there is no feeling in the part which is 
burned, still there may be feeling under it; and 
the feeling produced by a burn is painful. It is 
not the dead flesh, but the living flesh, which 



260 

will continue to feel as long as life continues in 
us. And none will believe that spirit can be an- 
nihilated, of course it will continue to burn and 
not be quenched. For I have no idea that we 
can sin till we shall not feel the wound, for God 
is just; and as certainly as we transgress against 
that law which is written in every heart, so cer- 
tainly shall we be delivered over to the tormen- 
ters; so long shall we find sorrow, trouble, con- 
fusion, horror, dread, and despair. Have not 
many of you heard the drunkard lament over 
his fallen state .'^ Have not many of us heard those 
addicted to vices, desiring to be delivered from 
such evils, — very much like the apostle formerly: 
" Who shall deliver me from the body of this 
death?" But afterwards he could thank God, 
through Jesus Christ, whose power operated to 
his deliverance from every perverse disposition. 
As we attend to this power, which is the bap- 
tism of the Holy Ghost, it will beget an abhor- 
rence in our minds, so that when we come to 
feel this, we shall be ready to start back and say, 
*' Who among us shall dwell with the devouring 
fire?" Here we dread its operation — ^' Who 
among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings .^'^ 
O, my friends, this speaks what we want to ex- 
perience, and what v^e want a knowledge of. 
For its operations are what we want, to remove 



261 

the dross, tin, and reprobate silver — those decep- 
tions which exist in the mind that has never been 
reduced to give up every thing contrary to the 
divine v^rill, and without any partiahty. And when 
the effects which are required, are produced by 
this baptism, the mind purified, every affection 
regulated, and drawn into the divine influence, 
our passions crucified and slain, every lust sub- 
dued, body, soul, and spirit brought under the 
influence of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
it ceases its fiery operations, and then we can 
dwell with God, because all combustible matter is 
consumed, the wood, hay, and stubble are burnt 
up. We are not now afraid of this burning, for 
these can become partakers of divine consola- 
tions. For they know, that " he who walketh 
righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that de- 
spiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his 
hands from holding bribes, that stoppeth his 
ears from hearing of blood, andshutteth his eyes 
from seeing evil: he shall dwell on high: his 
place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; 
bread shall be given him; his waters shall be 
sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his 
beauty, they shall behold the land that is very 
far off." 

Where now are the wise men? "Where is 
the Scribe.^ Where is he that counted the tow- 



262 

ers?" Is the mind dependent on their wisdom? 
'So: it is useless to those who come under this 
divine influefice for themselves. For they can 
testify that which their own eyes have seen, and 
that whicii their own ears have heard, of the 
good word of life, and the powers of the world 
to come. These are not seared; they are healed. 
And f want it to be understood as my view, that 
we can never, while under the influence of any 
carnal passions, fpelings, affections, or lusts, be- 
come partakers of this divine harmony, and 
know our habitation fixed upon that immutable 
rock, where all the powers of death, hell, and 
the grave, cannot prevail against us. Neither 
can we as societies, regulated and systematized 
under the influence of creeds, systems, articles 
of belief, or confessions of faith, as regularly or- 
ganized bodies, ever be admitted into the king- 
dom of heaven; because the power of the 
gospel operates upon each individual. All the 
passions must be regulated, all the affections 
crucified, and all the lusts subdued: and then 
we come individually into the third heaven, 
where we may hear things which are not lawful 
to be uttered. As said the apostle, " I knew a 
man in Christ about fourteen years ago, whe- 
ther in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of 
the body I cannot tell; God knoweth: such an 



263 

one caught up to the third heaven, where he 
heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful 
for a man to utter." 

And there are many heavens. There are 
many of us placing our hopes of happiness on 
external objects, and who are indulging the pro- 
pensities of a corrupt nature. And wherever 
our hope of happiness is fixed, there is our state 
of enjoyment — there is our heaven; for heaven 
is not a mere place, it is a state. And while we 
are grovelling under the influence of animal, or 
instinctive faculties and feelings — while we are 
regulated by these, and our passions are without 
a governor, we cannot advance farther than the 
lower heaven. There are many who come far- 
ther than this, and take a stand in the second 
heaven. There are many who are making a pro- 
fession of rehgion, and join themselves to this, or 
that society, in which they become zealous in the 
performance of external rituals, and thus many 
of them bear the character of good moralists, 
good husbands, good fathers, good friends, and 
honourable tradesmen. These often take de- 
light in their name, and assume a kind of phari- 
saical self-righteousness. Here they take their 
lodgings in the second heaven. But the myste- 
ries of the kingdom of heaven are not opened: 
they are above their view. They cannot give 



264 

an account of the light in themselves, by its ope- 
rations. They believe, — but wherefore? Because 
they have been taught. But who taught them? 
Their ministers and parents, or those who had 
gone before them. It was not the result of their 
own experience, but it was the result of super- 
stition and tradition. It was not the work of 
God, but the work of man: and it stands not ia 
the power of God. These, therefore, cannot 
advance further than the second heaven, where, 
though they may be less exposed to the censure 
of men in their situation, still it is equally dan- 
gerous with that of those who are influenced by 
the indulgence of animal or instinctive propen- 
sities. 

But when they leave these things, and come 
under the regulating influence of the divine pow- 
er, they know that there is a principle which 
reproves us for every evil thought, word,^and ac- 
tion, thus bringing sorrow, trouble, and confu- 
sion over our minds. Here is communion with 
God. And as we attend to these feelings, and as 
the disposiiions Vt'hich produced them have been 
purged out; and when they have disappeared, 
then we can adopt the language, — thy will, O 
God, be done. We can adopt the language of 
Christ, " Thy vi'ill be done on earth, as it is done 
in heaven/^ Then we shall be prepared for the 



265 

joys of divine consolation; then it is, that the spi- 
rit of judgment and burning looses its awful 
character, and appears as a spirit of judgment to 
them that sit in judgment, and for strength to 
them that turn the battle to the gates. 

It was this that taught the hands of David to 
war and his fingers to fight against his soul's 
enemies. It was this which enabled those who 
were faithful to it, to subdue kingdoms, work 
righteousness, obtain promises, stop the mouths 
of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the 
edge of the sword, out of weakness to be made 
strong, to wax valiant in fight, and turn to flight 
the armies of the aliens. And thus has been 
produced in all ages, great effects, which can 
not be attributed to any other power, — introduc- 
ing into that which is good, that which is holy, 
that which is heavenly. Here they are in the 
third heaven, where they hear things not lawful 
to be uttered, and which never can be under- 
stood by man till he comes to hold communion 
with God the Father, through the spirit of his 
Son; and know him to be what he called him- 
self, the Saviour, the Christ. And wherefore.'^ 
Because we shall know him to be unto us wis- 
dom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp- 
tion, if we have not formed systems of our own, 
but minded the same divine rule, and walked in 

Ll 



266 

the same things; experiencing him to draw us 
step by step along. For the axe is laid unto the 
root of the tree of corruption in the mind. He 
has placed the axe unto the root of the tree, and 
every tree that brings not forth good fruit, every 
disposition in the human mind, which has a ten- 
dency to separate us from God, the source of 
purity, must be cut down, the branches wither, 
the leaves fade, and the fruit be destroyed, by 
this cutting down. 

But, my friends, we must come to see the ne- 
cessity of coming unto God, the Judge of all. 
We are not called to mount Sinai, where the law 
was given in the midst of darkness, and thunder- 
ings, and lightnings, the sound of a trumpet, 
and the voice of words; but we are called to 
mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, 
the heavenly Jerusalem, where are the spirits of 
the just made perfect; where there is a holy 
harmony— where there is heavenly union— where 
we can sing everlasting praises to his name. 
And not because we have been taught these 
things by riien, but because we know what it is 
to be brought out of the bondage of sin, to stand 
as on a sea of glass mingled with fire; for all the 
corrupt materials of wood, hay, and stubble, 
have been removed from our minds. And when 
we stand on this sea of glass, the fire can never 



261 

make any impression on us; therefore when we 
stand on this sea we can sing " the song of 
Moses the servant of God, and the song of the 
lamb, saying, great and marvellous are thy works, 
Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, 
thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, 
Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only 
art holy; for all nations shall come and worship 
before thee; for thy judgments are made mani- 
fest/^ 

Some may be ready to conclude, that this 
system will strike at the root of religion: and it 
is at the root of all false religion that I would 
strike. If we only cut off the branches, the cor- 
rupt tree may afterwards recover; but I want to 
see every beastly disposition slain. I want us to 
come into that divine harmony in which we can 
sing praises to the living God, and worship him 
in the beauty of holiness, and in newness of spirit 
and of life. And when we come into this state 
we shall know an end to all divisions and dis- 
sensions—we shall know an end to every thing 
which has brought all these many miseries upon 
mankind. For wherever the spirit of God is, 
there is love; "for God is love; and he that 
dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God,* and God in 
kim." Where love is the governing principle it 
will cast out hatred; and where humility governs 



268 

the mind it will cast out its opposite, pride; and 
where temperance governs the mind, it will cast 
out intemperance. And every heavenly dispo- 
sition, when coming to operate in the heart, will 
cast out its opposite, for they cannot dwell to- 
gether. And if we are under the influence of 
these heavenly dispositions we shall experience 
all our enemies cast out; and this must bring an 
end to all wars and fightings among nations, 
squabbles in neighbourhoods, and contentions 
among individuals. 

This will enable us to be good husbands, to 
love our wives and not to be bitter against them. 
It will regulate every affection, disposition, and 
passi(»n: and it is this and this alone that can 
enable wives to be " obedient to their own hus- 
bands.^' And what is this obedience? It is an 
obedience to that divine love which ought to be 
the governing principle of every husband's heart. 
This will lead to a closer union, closer than na- 
tural affection; the man governing the woman, 
love governing each. Here will be divine har- 
mony, which conflicting sentiments can never 
break. Because it stands not in the wisdom of 
man, but in the operative power of God. And 
do we not know, that it was in this view, the 
apostle spoke. He had no allusion to the inferi- 
ority of women; but man represents the under- 



269 

standing, and he was representing woman as the 
affections and feelings: and when these become 
united they are helpmetes. The feehngs will take 
the edge from the asperity of the rougher nature, 
while the strength of the judgment will guide and 
govern the feelings. Here is that holy commu- 
nion which constitutes marriage. Many are unit- 
ed together in what have been called the bands of 
matrimony, who never were married. And what 
is marriage? It is not merely an external cere- 
mony; but when minds are brought under the 
regulating influence of that love in which the 
feelings submit to the judgment, those who are 
united in those bands are married in an holy 
harmony, and the natural affections are sanctified 
by divine love. These are enabled to fulfil their 
duties one to another, and to those over whom 
they have charge. Thus they are enabled to 
fill the station of fathers and mothers. 

But, my friends, how are we to be prepared 
to fill these stations, while acting under the in- 
fluence of violent passions, and feelings of anger 
and of hatred, or any of those things which can 
alienate the affections from one another— while 
acting under the influence of dispositions in which 
thefeelingsJudgments,orimaginations, are form- 
ed on the platform of corruption? This is a situa- 
tion in which we can become helpmetes one to 



210 

another only in temporal and eternal ruin! — not 
helpmetes in our advancement to that city whose 
walls are salvation and whose gates are praise. 

I want us, therefore, individually to come un- 
der the influence of that which operates upon 
the understanding, feelings, judgment, and affec- 
tions, and which will not only lead us into every 
duty required of us by God, but will enable us 
to fulfil our duties one to another. Here, also, 
our heads will not be so full of religion, as that 
we shall not be anxious respecting external per- 
formances. But all our actions will be so re- 
gulated, as to bring glory to God in our whole 
conduct. 

Here Christ being begotten and brought forth^ 
we are enabled to sing the heavenly anthem 
which always has accompanied the advent of the 
saviour: " Glory to God in the highest, peace 
on earth, good will to men."" And this will be 
found, not merely a vocal acclamation, but will 
rise from a heart replete with love to God; and, 
influenced by divine wisdom and the feehngs ex- 
cited by divine love, we shall be enabled to fill 
all the avocations of time. And when we come 
under the influence of these harmonizing feel- 
ings, if difiiculties occur, — if we are brought into 
sickness, or tried with adversity, — when our head 
is on a rolling pillow, and when death itself shall 



271 

approach our dwelling, this principle, which has 
been our morning portion, will be the staff of 
our old age, and our evening song. 

How much better is it to dwell in these hea- 
venly dispositions, under the influence of this 
regulating principle, than to indulge all the feel- 
ings and passions of our perverted nature — such 
as " pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of 
idleness/' While these are indulged, we may 
pray once, twice, or thrice a day, bow down the 
head like a bulrush, or lift up the voice like a 
trumpet; we may perform family worship, so call- 
ed, by calling our families around us, and by read- 
ing or repeating to them, in a dead, dry, and for- 
mal manner, a form of words; but this is only 
adding hypocrisy to sin, for we worship only dumb 
idols, formed or created by ourselves. And there 
is too much of this worship — too much preach- 
ing, praying, and singing, in public and in private. 
I dont want to discourage any right exercise. I 
only want that there should be less religion, and 
more righteousness in the land. I want us to 
come nearer the great pattern set us. I know 
not of any New Testament account of psalms 
being sung, but once; and that was when Jesus 
and his disciples went forth into the garden in the 
cool of the day. But I never heard that they 
sung any psalms in the assemblies of the people. 



212 

Neither do 1 believe that we can find one {}salm, 
in the whole collection usually employed in 
churches, which would be adapted to an assem- 
bly like this. 

Can we now begin and sing: " Rivers of tears 
run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy 
law:" when, perhaps, many of us have never 
known what it was to have our hearts converted, 
and brought into judgment because of our own 
sins? Or can we say, "As the hart panteth after 
the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 

God,'^ when we have never known what it was 
to give up to that feeling which would draw us 
nigh to him, but have been living under the in- 
fluence of our natural feelings and passions? And 

1 believe, if we ever come rightly to sing unto 
God, it must be when we are delivered from these 
things. It has instructed me, to look at Israel 
while in the land of Egypt and surrounded by 
Pharaoh and his host. It was a time of deep hu- 
miliation — it was no time for singing. But when 
a way had been made through the deep; when 
the sea had been commanded and it obeyed, and 
stood in an heap on either side till they had pass- 
ed through in safety, and their enemies had been 
drowned; when they had seen his salvation — then 
could they rejoice and sing upon the banks of 
deliverance. " I will sing unto the Lord, for he 



273 

kath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his 
rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord 
is my strength and song, and he is become my 
salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare 
him an habitation; my father's God, and I will 
exalt him."' 

Here was a song adapted to the occasion. It 
was not the experience of David, set to the music 
of Handel. It was not the music of one, and 
the style of another — nor was it any set form of 
words; but the feeling of the whole nation, for 
all had triumphed. Pharaoh's chariots and his 
hosts had he cast into the sea — his chosen cap- 
tains were also drowned in the Red Sea, with 
the horse and his rider. 

Now when we have experienced the same de- 
liverance, and overcoming of our souls' enemies, 
we shall have each a word of consolation in our 
own hearts, and we can make melody unto God — 
we can sing with the spirit, and with the under- 
standing also. For our understandings will know 
the operation of the spirit — it will be sealed upon 
our own minds. Thus we shall be enabled to 
sing unto the most high God, with the spirit and 
the judgment, and to make sweet melody unto 
him in our hearts. 

We have also oftentimes seen and heard long 
prayers, both extempore and written. I have 
Mm 



2U 

seen prayers written and printed — prayers to be 
used at all times and all seasons, of all lengths 
and dimensions, and adapted to every purpose, 
before meat and after meat. And these have been 
used by individuals whose almost every act was 
in direct contradiction to the purity and holiness, 
and thai divine love which are the characteris- 
tics of every follower of Christ. Now if we come 
to pray aright, we must pray with the spirit and 
the understanding also. 

And what is prayer? Is it a form of words .^ 
Is it bowing down the head like a bulrush, and 
lifting up the voice like a trumpet.^ Will you 
call this prayer, or an acceptable offering unto 
God.^ When there was a fast called, a solemn 
assembly sanctified, what was to sanctify the 
fast.^ " Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, 
gather the people, sanctify the congregation, as- 
semble the elders, gather the children, and those 
that suck the breast. Let the bridegroom go forth 
of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep 
between the porch and the altar, and let them 
gay, spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy 
heritage to reproach, that the heathen should 
rule over them. Wherefore should they say 
among the people, where is their God?" Let 
all situations be brought forth, and come under 



215 

the divine influence of the spirit of God. Let 
the priests and ministers, or all the heavenly dis- 
positions, stand as between the porch and the 
altar-— let them pray unto the Lord, " Give not 
thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen 
should rule over them. Wherefore should they 
say among the people, where is their God?" 

Now when we come thus to pray, we shall 
do it with the spirit and the understanding. We 
shall not pray statedly, once, twice, or three times 
a day, but in every act of our lives we shall know 
worship; when we are at our labour, when we 
walk by the way, when we lie down, and when 
we rise up. Then will our service be accepta- 
ble unto God, " as in the days of old, and as in 
former years." This is the fast which the Lord 
hath chosen: "to loose the bands of wickedness, 
to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppress- 
ed go free, and that ye break every yoke. Is it 
not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou 
bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? 
When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; 
and that thou hide not thyself from thine own 
flesh?" Here now is a fast acceptable unto God, 
and one that will bring peace to our own minds. 

Let us look a little at that prayer which was 
taught by Jesus Christ to his disciples. " Our 
Father which art in heaven.'^ Now we can 



^76 

never know him to be our Father, till we are 
created into the same power, and brought forth 
in the same life; and not till then, can we pro- 
properly say, " Our Father which art in heaven.'^ 
And when we are living in obedience to that 
which is manifest in all hearts, then we can pray, 
"Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy 
will be done;" because, if we are keeping his 
statutes and laws, his spirit will govern us, and 
then we can pray, " Give us this day our daily 
bread. '^ And wherefore? Because we have 
formed no system for our government: we are 
not looking to the carnal systems and opinions 
of men; we are not looking to performances 
which other men can do for us. And therefore, 
we can adopt the language of Christ, " Give us 
this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tres- 
passes, as we forgive those who trespass against 
us." And under the influence of this principle, 
we shall feel a being delivered from evil. ^' Deli- 
ver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and 
the power, and the glory." We can ascribe this, 
because every one of us may thus experience 
the power of supplication to rest upon us. And it 
is here, that we can come to feel, that these sup- 
plications are precious in the sight of God, as 
the evening and morning sacrifice, or as incense 
offered up. 



211 

And these prayers, these spiritual oblations, 
can be offered in our daily avocations — when we 
sit in our houses, when we w^alk by the way, 
when we lie down, and when we rise up. And 
when we come to know this, the voice of the 
true shepherd, then we shall know the gospel 
preached baptizingly in every creature. It is 
the same spirit which opens the understanding, 
which outwardly unstopped the deaf ears, open- 
ed the blind eyes, and healed the maladies of 
their bodies, among the Jews; and which raised 
them from the dead. It is the same principle 
which yet operates spiritually; which unstops 
the deaf ears of our understanding, heals the 
maladies of the soul, even unto leprosy: which 
raises from a death of sin, into the life of Christ. 
And thus we become united together with God; 
and as many as are led by the spirit of God, 
they are the sons of God. " For ye have not 
received the spirit of bondage again to fear: 
but ye have received the spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit it- 
self beareth witness with our spirit, that we are 
the children of God. And if children, then 
heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. 
If so be that we suffer with him, that we may 
be also glorified together." 

These he is not ashamed to call his brethren. 



218 

Here is divine harmony, in which all dissension 
will come to an end, and in which wars and fight- 
ings will be known no more. " And they shall 
beat their swords into ploughshares, and their 
spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift 
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn 
war any more." Because all evil dispositions 
will be rooted out. And the ardent desire of 
my soul is, that we may be delivered from that 
religion which stands not in righteousness, and 
from the power thereof And that we may come 
immediately into the spirituality of that gospel 
which is our pride and our boast, and cease from 
our present grievous misconduct, and disobedi- 
ence to its precepts, and know every ministering 
angel of God to rule in our souls, and every ad- 
verse spirit to be weakened thereby and cast out. 
Then we can sing unto the Lord, and rejoice in 
his salvation; and can testify from whence this 
salvation proceeds, because we shall have to 
know every operation in our own experience. 

It is written, " Except a man be born again, 
he cannot see the kingdom of God." And can 
a man be born of the spirit of God, without his 
own knowledge? There never was a natural 
birth without trouble and sorrow. So here, our 
passions, affections, and lusts, are so dear to us, 
that it is painful for us to feel them eradicated 



219 

and slain by the revelation of divine power; but 
the operation must be borne, if ever we come to 
be inhabitants of that city whose walls are sal- 
vation, and whose gates are praise. And the 
inhabitants of that city never did and never can 
become a people dwelling in iniquity; but every 
high and lofty disposition will be brought down, 
and every low and desponding disposition will 
be encouraged, and every rough and crooked 
disposition made straight, and every rough place 
plain. 

And now, my friends, " come with me from Le- 
banon. Look from the top of Amana, from the 
top of Shenir and Hermon, from the mountains of 
the leopards, from the lions' dens;^' from all these 
high and lofty dispositions; all these beastly na- 
tures in which many of us have too much in- 
dulged. Let us come into the nature and meefe- 
ness of the lamb — into that lamb-like nature in 
which Christ was, and we shall experience the 
same peace, the same joy, the same consolation, 
which the righteous in all ages have experienc- 
ed, and which is the effect of communion with 
God, through the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which is the Word of God, and which was in the 
beginning with God, and which was God. And 
this was not the scriptures, but the Word of God 
which created and sustains the world. And this 



2S0 

power is unlimited in its operations, and saving 
in its effects. And as we come under the influ- 
ence of this principle, it will harmonize every 
feeling of the mind, give us to see the beauties 
of nature, and of the author of nature's works. 
We shall not be looking at the blaze of beauty 
which may burst around us from the works of 
his animal or vegetable creation merely, but we 
shall look through all, up to nature's God. There 
will be a hymn of gratitude raised in our souls, 
and we can unite with the poet: — 

" These are thy glorious works, parent of good, 
Almighty ! thine this universal frame, 
Thus wond*rous fair ; thyself how wond*rous then ! 
Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens. 
To us invisible, or dimly seen 
In these thy lower works ; yet these declare 

•Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine. 
Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, 
Angels; for ye behold him, and with songs 
And choral symphonies, day without night, 
Circle his throne rejoicing ; ye, in heaven. 
On earth, join all ye creatures to extol 
Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.'* 

Thus we shall receive instruction immediately 
from the operation of Christ's spirit, which will 
show us every evil. Our understandings will be 
opened for the reception of every truth essential 



281 

to our salvation. And all the circumstances with 
which we are surrounded will be lessons of in- 
struction; and we shall be enabled to look through 
nature, up to nature's God. 

That this may become the experience of each 
of us, is the earnest desire of my heart. And 
now, in conclusion, I finally bid you farewell in 
the Lord, and in the power of his love, desiring 
that he will cause our deliverance, so that we 
may praise his mercy upon the banks of deliver- 
ance, who remaineth to be glorious in holiness. 



N B 



SERMON X. 
BY THOMAS WETHERALD. 

DELIVERED AT FRIEND s' MEETING, WILMINGTON^ 
DELAWARE, JUNE 8tH, 1826. 

It is a truth " that God hath made man up- 
right; but they have sought out many inventions/^ 
And in nothing, I apprehend, has the invention 
of man had so great a tendency to frustrate the 
designs of omnipotence, as in those subjects con- 
nected with religion. 

What is religion in itself? It is an operative 
principle. It is God in each of our souls, re- 
proving, condemning, and bringing into sorrow, 
trouble, and condemnation, for every offence 
which we commit against the divinity. And as 
we submit unto this, we shall also experience 
joy, peace, and consolation, for every act of obe- 
dience unto this same divinity. 

Here is the sum total of religion. And it is 
as we attend unto these individual manifestations. 



that we come to experience a growth in grace, 
and in the knowledge of the truth. And there 
needs none of the inventions of man; but if we 
attend immediately unto the manifestations of 
this principle, we shall advance from a state of 
negative purity, into a state of positive virtue; 
and into communion with God, the Father of 
spirits. And we shall know his life to be our 
life, and his spirit to nourish up our souls into 
this life, which is life everlasting. 

But let us look a little at the systems which 
the ingenuity of man has invented, by which they 
impose on us a variety of circumstances which 
are totally unconnected with our natures, and 
which cannot be applied to us as individuals; 
which are applicable only to us as a community. 
And they so evidently betray their origin, that 
it has often been a matter of surprise to me, that 
mankind will be so hood-winked, while they are 
bound under systems so full fraught with absur- 
dity. These impose on us a certain routine of 
belief. And from whence is this belief drawn? 
In some cases from the views of the ancient hea- 
thens — in others they have been devised by the 
ingenuity of man in later ages — and some, per- 
haps, have been formed of the two combined, 
thus producing a heterogeneous mixture which 
passes for faith, and by many is looked upon as 



285 

such. But it conveys no knowledge of God, for 
there is no knowledge of God contained in it; 
and none of us can convey that which we have 
not in our possession. Therefore these systems 
being built upon a sandy foundation, the super- 
structure must fall. 

These systems impose a routine of rites, cere- 
monies, and ordinances; and these are called 
worship. But their effect is only upon our ima- 
gination and external senses; it has no tendency 
to bring us to the footstool of God, or (o bring 
us into that spirit in which we can alone adopt 
the language, Abba, Father: nor to reduce the 
spirit of our minds to that state in which perfect 
love will cast out all fear. Were our minds 
brought under the influence of the divine spirit, 
which is of a universal nature, the language of 
every soul, brought under this operation, would 
assuredly be, Abba, Father. And the anthem, 
which has always been sung on the advent of 
the Messiah, would be found on our tongues: 
•— '^ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
peace, good will toward men." 

Now that which has been dignified with the 
ijame of religion, bears ample testimony of its 
origin, for it leads into strife and enmity. And 
is this a characteristic of the divinity of the gos- 
pel of Jesus Christ? No. Is it not obvious that 



286 

the features of these systems bear evident marks 
of their founders? Souie have approached much 
nearer the truth than others; and others again 
have been much more remote. But in one thing 
they have all agreed in a very remarkable man- 
ner, and that is a full and convincing proof of 
the corruptibility of their origin: — they have 
evidently imposed, not only systems of belief, 
which pass for faith, and ceremonies, which pass 
for worship, but, under the influence of interest- 
ed motives, they have imposed their avaricious 
feelings upon the community, and under their 
constitutions have applied to the benefit of the 
few, what they have taken from the many. The 
multitude are made to serve the interest of a few 
individuals — men of interested minds, and, what 
if I say, reprobates concerning the true faith. 

The whole of this system is corrupt and with- 
out foundation. And notwithstanding all the 
preaching, praying, singing, and baptizing with 
water; notwithstanding all the principles and 
doctrines which the invention of man has so 
beautifully systematized; yet all these cannot 
produce the desired effect. Because they can 
not remove one single stumbling stone, which 
separates us from the divinity. The whole of 
this systematized religion, which has been adapt- 
ed to communities, has not that individual nature 



281 

which will regulate one inordinate passion. It 
can never crucify one solitary lust. Hence it 
is, that the Christian world, as it consists at the 
present day, and all the individual members of 
the Christian church, who are built up in the in- 
ventions of man, form a component part of " mys- 
tery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots 
and abominations of the earth.^^ And it must 
be obvious to every reflecting mind, that religion 
has wonderfully increased in our land. And as 
religion has increased, very much in the same 
ratio rites and ceremonies have increased; and 
as they have increased, genuine Christianity has 
gradually declined. 

Under this view of the subject, these systems 
must necessarily be judged rotten to the very 
core. And where is there a remedy for a dis- 
ease, so rotten, so unsound and alarming? It 
never can correct itself — there must be a coun- 
teracting power; and this is not to be found in 
opinions and sentiments, or in what are called 
principles and doctrines of religion, but in our 
own hearts, and there only. And when we are 
willing to come under the influence of that prin- 
ciple which is God in man, or Christ manifest in 
your flesh — " Christ in you the hope of glory" — 
then we shall believe, and the foundation of 
this belief is the knowledge of God. 



288 

The systems which the ingenuity of man has 
invented, lead directly into a kind of polytheism, 
in accordance* with the views of the heathen. 
They have already three Gods in one person. 
But this is wholly contrary to our views of the 
attributes of God, and contrary to the scripture 
testimony, which declares that God is one, and 
his name one. " Is there a God besides me? Yea, 
there is no God; T know not any.'' "I, even I, 
am the Lord, and besides me there is no saviour.'^ 

What is God.^ Is he a mere isolated being, 
placed in a heaven at a great distance, sitting 
upon a throne, and taking notes of all pur con- 
duct, and placing them before him, to be brought 
forth at a day yet to come? Is this the idea which 
we entertain of the Deity? To be sure it is in 
accordance with the systems which the inge- 
nuity of man has invented; but it is not in ac- 
cordance with the nature of the divinity, nor 
with our own experience, in relation to his at- 
tributes. Even at the present day, hour, and 
moment, we are brought to judgment — the judg- 
ment is set, and the books are opened: because 
God is not only omnipotent and omniscient, but 
he is omnipresent — he fills all place, and all space. 
We need not look up to heaven, and say, who 
shall bring him down from above, nor into the 
depths, to call him up from thence. For what 



289 

saith the spirit? "The word is very nigh unto 
thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou 
may est do it/^ '^ In the beginning was the word, 
and the word was with God, and the word was 
God: the same was in the beginning with God: 
all things were made by him,^' and without his 
immediate operation, was nothing made that was 
made. " In him was life, and the life was the 
light of men/^ This word was life and light, and 
it is unto this divine light, this operative power 
of God in the soul of each of us, that I want 
to direct all our attention; and not to any of the 
systems which the ingenuity of man has invented. 
And when we come under the operation of that 
divine illimitable principle we obtain a know- 
ledge of God, through the operation of his spi- 
rit. Hence our faith is firm, because it is not 
built on another's experience, or the ingenuity 
of ahother^s invention. Thus we can testify, 
what our eyes have seen, our ears heard, and 
our hands have handled, of the word of life, and 
of the powers of the world to come. 

Another inspired penman, testifies of the uni- 
versality of the divinity, in this manner, " It is 
high as heaven, what canst thou do.^ Deeper 
than hell, what canst thou know?" And there 
are a variety of scripture testimonies to this ef- 
fect. But is there not a testimony superior to all 
o o 



290 

others, engraven indelibly on our souls? Are 
there not testimonies linked one with another, 
as closely woven as a garment? And yet each 
thread, if sound and true, will assuredly bear 
its share of the burthen, because they are not be- 
come rotten. But they which are woven by the 
inventions of man, cannot bear the burthen; 
and though man may attempt to cover himself 
with a garment of this corruptible texture — 
" the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch 
himself upon it: and the covering narrower, 
than that he can wrap himself in it/^ 

I have been instructed in this meeting, by an 
account which the apostle gives of the righte- 
ousness of the saints, which is compared to fine 
linen, clean and white. Now, my friends, what 
is this linen composed of? It is composed of 
many very fine threads, so nicely woven together, 
as to give beauty and strergth to the whole. 
These threads being combined, receive strength 
from one another: and so it is with christians, if 
they are dc^ily under the influence of this divine 
principle, — every act of their lives, and every 
thought will form a fibre like unto the threads 
of the linen. And as they become united toge- 
ther, our whole lives will become a tissue of 
regularity, union, and cementing strength, beau- 
tifully compared to a garment. And I am also 



291 

convinced, that it is only by this uniformity of 
thought, word, and action, produced by the 
power of God in the soul, that we ever can ex- 
perience that peace which passeth all under- 
standing; or ever come to know the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. And 
on the contrary, if we neglect this operation, he 
will "laugh at our calamity, and mock when 
our fear Cometh." We shall become Hnked toge- 
ther, united, and woven, and covered with a gar- 
ment of our own corruptions. 

Now let us look at this picture a little, and see 
if it is not in accordance with what we have wit- 
nessed of this principle: and see if we have 
not found our actions, though we may have been 
at a great distance from each other, varied in 
consequence of a connection, and which con- 
nection has had an influence over our lives. 
Every act of obedience to a good principle, 
gives strength to the mind, and weaves into the 
garment, something of a heavenly nature, which 
may be compared unto fine linen. Thus every 
act of obedience produces strength; and every 
act of disobedience, and forgetfulness of God, 
produces weakness, and gives a predominancy 
to those dispositions which lead into sorrow, 
confusion, destruction, and death. There are 
many different views taken of this subject in the 



292 

scriptures, but they all lead to one point. In 
the old covenant, under the laws of Moses, the 
people were led into the use of meats, drinks^ 
and washings, as typical of the cleansing opera- 
tion of the spirit, and that nourishment whereby 
the soul is supported and nourished unto eternal 
life; and there are many beautiful allusions made 
to this. There was a priesthood instituted by 
divine appointment from amongst men. But 
wherefore? Because the people had sought out 
so many inventions, that their hearts had become 
hardened; and therefore, he gave them statutes 
which were not good, and judgments by which 
they could not hve. Therefore, this law was 
written upon tables of stone: the writing was 
by the finger of God, but the workmanship of 
the tables was the labour of man. Moses was 
commanded to hew them, after those were 
broken which God had given him of the same 
likeness. And he hewed them, and God wrote 
thereon this imperfect law, which was at that 
time as high as their weak state could bear. It 
was intended as a schoolmaster or teacher, to 
lead them up to God. It was typical; and we 
need not go back to washings, to the blood of 
goats and bidls. or to the ashes of an heifer; 
because we may reahze this cleansing spirit^ 



293 

and know the blood of Christ to cleanse us from 
every sin. 

Now I don't want to direct your attention to 
any thing which is external I don't want to 
turn your attention to that unparalled act of atro- 
city, which crucified one of the most righteous 
of beings. No, surely ; for we can never be sav- 
ed by any act of wickedness. The crucifixion 
of Christ was a piece of unparalleled wickedness, 
in which they said, " his blood be upon us and 
our children." And it was eminently upon them, 
and it has been upon their children, and upon 
their offspring — upon all those who have conti- 
nued in the same state of hardness and unbelief. 
And wherever we continue in this state of hard- 
ness and unbelief, we as assuredly shed the blood 
of Christ as it was shed without the gates of Je- 
rusalem. And what is the blood of Christ.^ Has 
it relation merely to the outward animal body.^ 
No: for it is a truth, that the blood is the life; 
and unto this very circumstance all the bloody 
offerings under the law had evident allusion. 
The blood is the life — the circulating medium 
which gives vitality to the whole system. It is 
only the life of Christ — a life of purity, of holi- 
ness; a life which was produced by a daily obe- 
dience to his Father's spirit — which can enable 



294> 

us to worship him acceptably, or to adopt the 
language, Abba, Father. 

And what are the operations of this spirit, and 
how are they to be felt in the mind? We may 
be querying after this manner, not knowing 
where to look, and ready to say, " Who shall 
ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from 
above? or who shall descend into the deep to 
bring him up from the dead?'^ But what saith 
the spirit? " The word is nigh thee, even in thy 
niouth, and in thy heart; that is the word of faith 
which we preach/' But, alas! we have often 
fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. We have de- 
spised and rejected him in his spiritual appear- 
ance. "He is despised and rejected of men; a 
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and 
we hid, as it were, our faces from him: he was 
despised, and we esteemed him not.'' And 
wherefore.'^ Because we want something of a 
more splendid nature. We want something bet- 
ter adapted to our own wills and inclinations. 
We want a saviour by whom we can be indulged 
in the gratification of our animal passions and 
propensities, and in the fulfilling of those princi- 
ples which lead us to follow our senses. Here 
we have formed our ideas of Christ, and given 
him those miserable transformations by our own 
more miserable inventions j which, instead of 



2d5 

bringing us to a knowledge of God, have enve» 
loped us in darkness till confusion is worse con- 
founded. 

And many are ready to deny the operation of 
this divine principle, which speaks in every soul. 
Many say that revelation has ceased, and that all 
the revelation which we are now to look for, is 
contained in the scriptures of truth. But the 
scriptures speak of a priest — an high priest. 
And is he not called our king, priest, and pro- 
phet? Our king to govern us, our priest to in- 
struct us in our duty to God, and our prophet to 
open divine mysteries to us. And of what or- 
der is he.'^ He is not after the order of Aaron, 
but after the order of Melchisedec — after the 
order of an everlasting and unchangeable priest- 
hood. " Without father, without mother, without 
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor 
end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, 
abideth a priest continually.^^ As he is, thus 
are all his followers, partakers of the same nature, 
not founded on systems formed by prejudice and 
tradition, but begotten of God, and him alone, 
into the same divine life, and brought forth in 
the same divine power. And here it is, that 
unity is maintained and experienced, because, 
being partakers of the same faith, we are go- 



2m 

verned by the same spirit, and every opposing 
disposition, every evil spirit, is cast out. 

However diverse our opinions may be upon 
religious subjects, if we are under the influence 
of this divine and governing principle, and life of 
Christ, this circulating medium which gives vi- 
tality to the whole system, we shall be gradually 
knit together — our spirits will mingle, and we 
shall travail for one another's welfare in love, and 
we shall be enabled to bid each other God speed 
But this depends on a daily attention to this prin- 
ciple; and one of the apostles laid this injunction: 
" Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine 
of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not lay- 
ing again the foundation of repentance from dead 
vvorks, and of faith towards God.'' Leaving the 
principles and doctrines of Christ, and not de- 
pending verbally on the precepts which he gave: 
leaving them — there was another resting place in 
view — " Let us go on unto perfection, not lay- 
ing again the foundation of repentance from dead 
works, and of faith towards God, of the doctrine 
of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of 
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment 
And this will we do if God permit.'^ Now if this 
is our individual care and concern — if our minds 
are above all things, endeavouring to come under 
the influence of this principle, which rectifies 



291 

every act and subjects all our affections, we sliaU 
be led into the situation of babes in Christ, then 
young men, then strong men. Our experimental 
knowledge will increase. And although children 
are as perfect as those of mature age, and the 
work of the same great Creator, and under his 
immediate care and providence, yet their minds 
are not developed. And while we are children, 
though we are not able to distinguish our right 
hand from our left, yet if we are preserved in 
innocency and in fear, light will be given us; and 
if we are obedient to the discoveries of truths 
we shall thereby experience a growth in strength 
and wisdom, by which we shall experience peace 
equally with those who have attained to greater 
experience. And as every act of obedience gives 
experience, our minds will grow from that of 
babes unto that of young men, and our increase 
of experience will make us strong in love and in 
the power of God, in which we can testify of his 
mercy and of his j udgments. This will produce 
that wisdom which stands not in length of yearS;, 
neither is governed by number of months; but 
" wisdom is gray hairs unto man, and an unspot« 
ted life, old age." 

These views will bring religion into a differ^ 
ent form. It has been external, but it will be- 
come internal. It has been natural but it will 



298 

become spiritual. It has taken cognizance of 
the outward acts of wickedness, such as adultery, 
lying, swearing, and stealing. The laws of the 
Jews, were only different modifications of the 
same principle. But this is no part of the gos- 
pel dispensation: it takes no cognizance of these 
things; but it lays the axe unto the root of the 
tree — to the imaginations from whence the words 
and actions proceed. And as we attend unto 
this gospel power, it will bring every thing which 
has a nature different and contrary to itself into 
subjection. The tree which grows from the root 
of corruption will wither; its branches will 
wither, its leaves fade, and the roots decay. So 
also when the mind becomes pure, like the tree 
which is good, so the fruit will be also. But if 
the tree be impure, the fruit will be also im- 
pure. Here is a criterion by which we may 
judge: "For men do not gather grapes of 
thorns nor figs of thistles'^ — "neither doth a 
spring send forth salt water and fresh.'^ This 
is a medium we may judge ourselves by, if we 
are willing to come to judgment. This law ope- 
rates on our spirits; and by a daily attention to 
this divine principle, there will be a daily increase 
of our experience, and we shall find that its 
power will increase, till every thought, every 
imagination, and consequently every word and 



299 

action, will be brought into obedience to the 
gospel of Christ. 

And when we come to experience these 
things, we shall know what the divinely eagle- 
eyed apostle meant by the declaration, that there 
was war in heaven; and which is one of the 
most beautifully illustrative passages left on re- 
cord. " There was war in heaven : Michael and 
his angels fought against the dragon ; and the 
dragon fought and his angels.^'' And what are 
these angels? Every work of the creation is an 
angel of God: but these in a peculiar manner 
have allusion to the dispositions of the human 
mind. These constitute the angels that engage 
in this combat. They are the angels of love, 
joy, peace, temperance, patience, brotherly kind- 
ness, charity, and a host of other heavenly vir- 
tues: and the angels of darkness, hatred, cruelty, 
intemperance, lust, idolatry, murder, lying, steal- 
ing, and a host of evils which compose that 
dragon which is spoken of. 

Now when we come to know the angel of love; 
when we can feel that we love God, and that su- 
premely, and our neighbour as ourselves, then that 
divine feehng will cast out its opposite, its adver- 
sary: it will cast out hatred. The angel of mercy 
will cast out the devil of cruelty ; the angel of tem- 
perance, the devil of intemperance. And every 



300 

heavenly and divine disposition of the mind, 
will become predominant, and then we shall be 
enabled to testify of that state which the Lord 
declared of, when he said, " the kingdom of hea- 
ven is within you." It is there we must look 
for his appearing, and there we must experience 
his power, and know him to rule as with a rod 
of iron, over all unrighteousness and ungodli- 
ness of men. It is there we must know that a 
sceptre of righteousness, is the sceptre of his 
kingdom ; and that what is to be known of God, 
is made manifest in man. And wherefore? The 
answer is plain: "for God hath shown it unto 
him.^^ And if we come not to know an admit- 
tance into the kingdom of heaven, while we are 
clothed in mortality, and to know a victory over 
our lusts and evil dispositions, our hope is not 
well founded; we have not an anchor sure and 
steadfast, through all the vicissitudes of life. 
We have not that which will disarm death of its 
sting, and the grave of its victory. In adversity, 
it will keep us from distraction; in sickness or 
health, it will maintain its influence — it will dis- 
arm death of its sting, and the grave of its vic- 
tory. And we shall be enabled to bear this 
testimony, which is immutable in its character, 
" we know that we have passed from death unto 
life, because we love the brethren/^ 



SOI 

Now if we attend to this principle, we shall 
not be at a loss for systems in and by which to 
worship the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
And what is worship? Is it merely to preach, 
pray, and sing? No, verily. There is no worship 
in these things; unless, they be in obedience 
to the immediate requirements of the divinity. 
I know of no man, nor body of men, whether 
synod, presbytery, or convention, that are able^, 
or who have power to ordain one single solitary 
minister of the gospel of Christ. And those 
who receive such appointments, and emoluments 
from men, are not preaching the gospel of Christ, 
but it is another gospel. It stands in an out- 
ward observance of rituals and performances, 
which have no power in regulating the passions, 
or crucifying the lusts; but which indulge pride, 
ambition, and a variety of other feelings, in 
which we can never work the righteousness of 
God. And what does this preaching teach? 
Merely to support the systems which individuals 
have adopted; and not to direct the people to 
the " minister of the sanctuary, and of the true 
tabernacle which God has pitched, and notman,^' 
but to these regulated ordinances, rituals, sys- 
tems, and ministers, which give not acceptance 
in the sight of God. They are seeking the ho- 
nour of men, and they have their reward. 



302 

But when we are brought under this divine 
and regulating influence, every act will be an act 
of worship, because it will be calculated to bring 
" glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men." Here we shall learn 
to fulfil the injunction of Christ, "What I say 
unto you, I say unto all, watch/' This divine 
love in which he lived, and in which all his mi- 
racles were performed, operating in us, in the 
most trying circumstances we can adopt the lan- 
guage, " thy will, and not mine be done." And 
whenever a disposition is raised in us, to crave 
of our heavenly Father, " if it be thy will, re- 
move this cup from me,"' it will centre in this, 
" not as I will, but as thou wilt." Here is ano- 
ther victory gained over the power of evil and 
recrimination, — that spirit which repels force 
by force, and attacks enemies with their own 
weapons. Here the glorious gospel is found tri- 
umphant; and though our bodies have been slain 
by the hands of men, as the body of Jesus was, 
yet assuredly being under this influence, we shall 
rise superior to all the powers of corruption, as 
he rose again the third day, and which is beau- 
tifully typical of the resurrection which we may 
experience, when we have fallen by the power 
of evil. 

And as we attend to this spirit, we shall be 



303 

enabled to offer up worship, holy and accepta^ 
ble to God, through the operation of the same 
divine power and principle, which is a manifes- 
tation of God in your flesh. And all our per- 
formances being under the influence of the divine 
spirit, it would cause unrighteousness to vanish 
from the earth, wars would cease, every evil 
would be overcome of good — the angels of God 
casting out all our enemies. Thus, " the wilder- 
ness would become an Eden, and our desert like 
the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness would 
be heard therein, thanksgiving and the voice of 
melody/'' 

All the systematized works of man, never 
can advance this work one step. If we ever 
have pure religion, and undefiled before God, it 
must be by attending to the operation of his 
power in our own spirits, thus enabling us to 
overcome every thing of a corruptible nature, 
and to know a passing from death unto life, be- 
cause we have loved the brethren. 

Now with respect to watery baptism, it has 
passed away, together with all the relics of the 
former dispensation, forever. They are not at 
all adapted unto this, which is wholly spiritual. 
The baptism of the Holy Ghost has most assur- 
edly superseded the necessity of baptism with 
water. For if the inside of the cup and platter, 



or of the principles, affections, and dispositions^ 
from which our actions proceed, become cleansed^ 
the outside will necessarily become clean. For 
throughout the creation, like produces like. And 
if our dispositions are of a heavenly character, 
they will produce actions of the same character. 
And I apprehend, if we place our dependence 
in outward ordinances, we deny the coming of 
Christ in the flesh, and bring ourselves under 
the baptism of John ; and we are returning to 
types and figures, rites and ceremonies. 

Neither ne ' we go to bread and wine, as 
typical of that nourishment which we receive 
through the body and blood of Christ; because 
the substance itself is come, and its power is 
experimentally known, even that power which is 
the resurrection and the life. And when we 
know the life of Christ, this operative principle, 
which is a governing principle — and when the 
life of Christ is predominant in our souls, when 
this circulating medium is spread over the whole 
system, it gives life, power, and vitality to the 
whole soul; and here we are nourished and raised 
up to magnify the name of God. And from this 
operation, faith itself proceeds. " By grace are 
ye saved through faith; and that not of your- 
selves; it is the gift of God/^ Faith, and mere 
belief, are essentially different and distinct. We 



305 

may believe many things which are not essential 
to constitute us christians; for the devils believe 
and tremble, but they remain devils still. There 
is no regenerating influence in this belief; but 
when we come daily to attend to the principle 
which reproves for evil — and not what man may 
have constituted a reproof for evil — when we at- 
tend to these admonitions, we shall in due time 
become partakers of a cup of consolation, which 
the divine power gives us; and we shall increase 
our experience, and as we increase, our faith be- 
comes more sound. And there can be no faith 
without works — there can be no living faith 
without works. I want us all, therefore, to come 
to an examination, whether our faith is a mere 
belief imbibed by education, forged and fostered 
by prejudice, which have led to the adoption of 
these systems; or whether it has been produced 
by the immediate operation of God upon our 
spirits. 

And it is our obedience or disobedience which 
constitutes the true ground of election and re- 
probation. It is absurd, and, I had almost said, 
blasphemous, to suppose that God ha3 fore-or*" 
dained any of the workmanship of his hands to 
eternal misery, when he declared in the begin* 
ning, and which remains to be a truth, that all 
his workmanship was good. But there are many 



$06 

iKrho are disposed to find no difference between 
prescience and fore-ordination; but it does not 
necessarily follow that because God knoweth all 
things from all eternity, he has fore-ordained 
them. There is a spirit in each of us, and if 
we attend to it, it will lead to God; but if we ne- 
glect it, we fall into darkness. And what is dark- 
ness? It is the absence of light — it is not a po- 
sitive power; and when light is introduced, it is 
necessarily lost and disappears. And thus it is 
with evil: and we don^t need to go to a separate 
and distinct evil spirit, in order to find a tormen- 
tcr, for every act of wickedness brings with it 
its own torment. And if we are attentive to that 
principle which brings peace, it will grow and 
increase; and we shall more and more fully wit- 
ness its power, till every thing of an opposite 
nature is wholly subdued. And when evil is 
presented to our mind, there will be no tempta- 
tion left for us to join in, or unite with it; and 
thus we shall become elected together with 
Christ, even as he was, through obedience, elect* 
ed. And we shall become heirs of God, and 
joint heirs with him; and as we must learn, sa 
he also learnt obedience by the things which he 
suffered. 

But if, on the contrary, we will not come un- 
der the influence of the Holy Ghost, that divine 
principle, that holy spirit, our progress will be 



307 

retarded, — we shall be confounded, and our 
minds will be more and more hardened, till we 
may be left to obey every evil thought, word, and 
action. But if, through obedience, when good 
be present and nigh, we join in with it, it will 
increase and cast out the evil. This is the con- 
sequence of its holy operation, notwithstanding 
it may be different in all those who experience 
its power. The proud and lofty it will bring 
down into meekness, and those who are weak 
and desponding it will raise into firmness, and 
thus exemplify the declaration of one of the pro- 
phets: " Every valley shall be exalted, and every 
mountain and hill shall be made low, and the 
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
places plain." And then the glory of the Lord 
can and will cover the earth, as the waters cover 
the deep. 

My mind has desired for you, and for mine 
own soul also, that we may be willing to try these 
things for ourselves. I desire to direct you not to 
man, nor to the teachings of men; for it is only 
as we come to have our understandings opened^ 
that we know the testimony of Jesus to be the 
spirit of prophecy. And whether it shows us 
our own state and condition, or the situation of 
those around us, or things yet to come, it is the 
same spirit which inspired the holy men, patri* 



308 

archs, and prophets, in all ages. " The testi- 
mony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy;^' and 
how directly is this in opposition to that abomi- 
nable doctrine, that revelation has ceased. And 
on what is the church of Christ built? Is it not 
built upon the revealed will of God? What said 
Christ? " Whom do men say that I, the son of 
man, am? And they said, some say that thou art 
John the Baptist, some Elias, and some Jere- 
mias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto 
them, but whom say ye that I am? And Simon 
Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, the 
son of the living God. And Jesus answered and 
said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, 
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 
but my Father which is in heaven. And I say 
unto (bee, that thou art Feter; and upon this rock 
I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall 
Tiot prevail against it.^^ Now the church is not 
built on Peter, but on that power which revealed 
unto Peter, that he was Christ. And it is this 
power which must give us an understanding of 
things which are true, and which must enable 
I3s to dwell in those things which are true, even 
in Jesus Christ; this is the true God and eternal 
life: and this was the fulfilment of that declara- 
tion, " I in them and thou in me, that they also 
may be one in us.^' 



309 

Now when we come to experience these ef- 
fects produced in us, by the operation of this 
holy principle, then the scriptures will be valua- 
ble to us as corroborative testimony; for then 
shall we have pourtrayed before us the experi- 
ence of men in former ages — those who have 
trodden the same path of self-denial and obedi- 
ence. They will be unto us a comfort; — they 
will be profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, for instruction in righteousness; and 
we through faith, and comfort of the scriptures, 
shall have our hope increased. Then, not only 
the scriptures themselves, but every other exter- 
nal evidence, yea all the workmanship of the 
hand of God, will be corroborative testimony. 
And every action of our minds will form an in- 
structive lesson unto us. Even our slips, misses, 
and short comings in the path of righteousness; 
these will be warnings to us for the time to come. 
Now this, my friends, is loud preaching. It is 
the gospel of Christ preached in every creature. 
It is the Comforter which was testified of by 
Christ — " It is expedient for you, that I go away: 
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come 
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto 
you. And when he is come, he will reprove the 
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment;" and he shall, " bring all things to your 



310 

remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you/' 
And in attending to this divine principle, it would 
make us wiser than all our teachers; we should 
be enabled to see our own state and condition, 
and our understandings would be opened to those 
things which yet appear mysterious: for there is 
nothing mysterious in religion. It is so plain, 
that no one can err therein. It is " the way of 
holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but 
it shall be for those; the wayfaring men, though 
fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be 
there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up there- 
on, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed 
shall walk there: and the ransomed of the Lord 
shall return and come to Zion, with songs of 
everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall ob- 
tain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing, 
shall flee away." 

Religion never was mysterious, till it was 
clothed in abstract propositions, and false sci- 
ence. Abstract propositions are to the truth, as 
covering is to the human body. They form no 
part of its essence. They have a tendency to 
cover it, and hide it from the view of the mind; 
and thus much of its benefit is lost, for truth 
needs no covering; it never appears in so great 
purity, as in its own naked loveliness. There- 
fore, to this principle, which is the life of God in 



311 

the soul, I desire to recommend you; for it will 
lead you, and guide you into all truth. It will 
lead you out of the bondage of sin and corrup- 
tion, into the glorious liberty of the sons and 
daughters of God. It will lead you into the 
spirit of adoption, whereby you can cry, Abba, 
Father. It will thus enable you, to ''love your 
enemies; to bless them that curse you, do good to 
them that hate you, and pray for them which de- 
spitefully use you, and persecute you.^^ It is 
this divine principle which will support you in 
adversity, preserve you in prosperity, and be 
with you in all the trying circumstances of life. 
It wdll disarm death of its sting, and the grave of 
its victory. And it will open a new and a living 
way, even unto that which is within the vail, the 
holiest of all; — where all the ingenuity of human 
invention can never come; — where every dispo- 
sition being in accordance with the divine pu- 
rity, we shall bow before the divine footstool, 
and in the language of the scriptures, and of our 
own experience, we shall find indubitable evi- 
dence, w^hich will enable us to adopt the lan- 
guage of Abba, Father. Because we shall be 
begotten into the one life, by the one spirit^ 
and thus we shall experience that hope which 
will be an anchor unto our souls, sure and stead- 
fast, and which will never be separated from us. 



312 

And we shall have an evidence, that when we 
have done with time here, there will be prepared 
for us, ^* a building of God, an house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens; where moth 
and rust corrupteth not, and where thieves do 
not break through and steal/^ 



CONTENTS. 

rage 
Sehmoit I, By Thomas Wethebald, at Pine street Meeting, 

Philadelphia, Sunday morning-. May 21, 1826, - - - 7 
Sekmou II. By Thomas Wetherald, at Arch street Meeting, 

afternoon of the same day, 43 

Sermon III. By Thomas Wetherald, at Rose street Meet- 
ing, Sunday morning. May 28, 1826, 81 

Sermon IV. By Elias Hicks, same Meeting, - - . 109 

Sermon V. By 1 homas Wetherald, at Hester street meet- 
ing, afternoon of the same da}', - - - - • - 127 

Sermon YL By Elizabeth Robson, at Rose street Meet- 
ing, Wednesday, June 1, 1826, 159 

Prater. By Anna Braithwaite, same Meeting, - - 183 

Sermon VIT. By Thomas Wetherald, same Meeting, - 185 

Additional Remarks, by Elias Hicks, same Meeting, - 199 

Sermon \III. By Thomas Wetherald, at Rose street Meet- 
ing, New York, Sunday morning, June 4, 1826, - - 201 

Sermon IX. By Thomas Wetherald, at Hester street Meet- 
ing, New York, afternoon of June 4, 1826, - - -235 

Sermon X. By Thomas Wetherald, at Wilmington, (Del.) 
Thursday, June 8, 1826. 285 



TO ELIAS HICKS. 



Dear Brother— Feeling the love of Christ to con- 
strain me, 1 again take my pen to address one who is not 
a stranger to that spirit, which causes people frequently 
to act, when they know that their acls are not in accord- 
ance with the precepts and customs of this world, and 
therefore will excite the frowns instead of the smiles 
of the same. "But marvel not — said he who leaned 
upon the breast of Jesus — if the world hate you." Where 
the Spirit ot Jesus reigns in the breast of one, and the 
spirit of the world in that of another, there can be no 
union, though bound together by the laws of a Pope.— - 
When the sensible effusion of the Holy Spirit move us 
to act or speak, may we ever be obedient, though branded 
with the epithet, " thou art beside thyself." I rejoice 
under the consideration that the number of those is 
increasing, who can fully understand and accept our acts, 
when unable to render any apology for the same, save 
" the love of Christ constraineth us" — therefore we act, 
that we may be refreshed in the ocean of redeeming love. 
" Who maketh thee to differ from another ?" Is it not the 
Lord ? then boasting is excluded — by the law of redeem- 
ing faith. What have we that we have not received? — 
Nothing. Then we have nothing to glory in, save the 
Lord, from whom all good and perfect gifts flow. May 
we then ascribe righteousness unto our Maker, and let 
the creature lay concealed in the valley of humility, 
that " our life may be hid with Christ in God." For 
some time past, many have looked upon me with either 
astonishment, wonder, or concern; and for more than 
seven months past my slate has been a cause of wonder 
and astonishment to myself, but not of concern ; for all 
concern, trial and conflict of mind was taken from me at 
that time, as in the twinkling of an eye, and it seemed 
as though I was translated from earth to heaven ; or as 
the inspired pen describes it, "redeemed from all things, 
and translated into the kingdom of the dear Son," where 
1 could say with John, " this is the true God and eternal 



% 



life," " being in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus 
Christ." Not only knowing Him to be revealed in me a 
saviour from my sins; but knovving my nature to be re- 
vealed, or born into His, where the tree of sin exists no 
more. O ! how can I recount all His goodness unto me, _ 
a frail worm of the dust. "The word of the Lord hath 
been tried ; He is a buckler to them that trust in Him — a 
covert from the storm — a hiding place for the meek and 
pure, — may we ever be so pure as to feel his pavillion 
over us to be love. " What ailed thee, O thou sea, that 
thou fledst — thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back! 
Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams ; and ye hills, 
like little lambs." — " Tremble, O thou earth, at the pres- 
ence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 
which turned the rock into a standing pool, and the flint 
into a fountain of water." Oft-times my earth hath 
trembled at the presence of the Lord, which turned the 
rock of my heart into a standing pool of Divine consola- 
tion, which sometimes lasted for days, and then dried up, 
leaving me in the wilderness again. But never before 
seven months past did I witness the presence of the God of 
Jacob, to turn my flinty nature into a fountain of water 
and Divine consolation, which springs up continually 
without any exertion of my own, save to keep my mind 
centered upon the gift of God in myself, through which 
it flows. Though " the heathen rage, and the people 
imagine a vain thing" — yet praise the Lord, O my soul, 
and all that is within me, magnify his holy name, for he 
that is mighty hath done great things for thee, and holy 
is His name." Never did I expect so soon to enjoy a 
complete Heaven below, without mixture, and without 
cessation. — Though people say it will soon vanish and 
leave me in the desert again, yet thanks be to God, 
their say so did not establish it, neither does it destroy it. 
Guess work and supposition cannot destroy certain expe- 
rience, for that, and that only, can withstand the gates of 
Hell — its foundation is the rock of ages. 1 am astonished 
at times, at my own feelings ; whilst I muse, as said the 
Prophet, the fire burns within me, and the flame of Al- 
mighty love breaks forth in such streams of secret praise 
and melody, that my soul seems lost in the ocean of un- 
bounded goodness ; whilst the glory of the Lord covers 
my earthly nature as the waters cover the sea ; and I see 
QO reason why it may »ot so continue through time and 



B 

eternity, if I continue with my mind staid on the Lord, 
and walk according to my faith, in all things, which is my 
privilege and my duty ; and no desire do 1 feel to do any 
thing else, but thus to worship the Lord my God, and 
Him only serve. Happy is he that can keep his mind 
constantly staid upon the Lord, loving, serving and ador- 
ing his holy power within him. Though David declared 
that the Lord would keep the mind in perfect peace that 
was staid upon him: yet, never before inbred corruption 
was destroyed, was I able to do this continually ; — Ihere- 
iore my peace was not perfect, and continual ; and 1 am 
led to believe that no one can, till the tree of sin with 
all its corruptible roots, are entirely removed from the 
heart — then they can cease from their own works as 
God did from his, and enter into the rest that Paul said 
" remaineth for the people of God,'^ which no longer 
comes and goes, but remains for those that are redeemed 
and sanctified from all depravity and corruption ot heart, 
a rest from fighting against inward enemies — our ene- 
mies being no longer of our own household. Yet still 
we havfe to fight at times against powers and principali- 
ties without, and watch lest any man take our crown. 
Yet it is no longer we, but Christ that fighteth through us, 
and our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God, 
to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan in others, 
and casting down high things, &c. Knowing that be 
that is with u», is greater than he that is with them. 

When but ten years of age, I turned from darkness to 
light ; from the power of Satan to God, in my own soul, 
and received a forgiveness of all my sins, but not till I 
was twenty-six did I receive an inheritance among them 
that are sanctified; being able to comprehend with ali 
saints the heighth and the depth, the length and breadth ; 
and know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge ; 
being filled with all the fulness of God, so as to enable 
me to feel persuaded that principalities nor powers, life 
nor death, nor any other thing, should be able to separate 
me from the love of God. Whereas, before, something 
would almost daily separate me from his love. Hundreds 
of times have I preached the Gospel to my fellow crea- 
tures, in the power and demonstration of the spirit ; feel- 
ing that I loved God supremely, and shortly after meeting 
found my affections wholly centered on something else j 
which would cause my feelings sometimes to exclaim, 



4 



"O wretched man that I amf who shall deliver me irom 
the bodv of this death," of innate corruption that still 
encircles my soul, and frequently causes me to fall pros- 
trate to the earth. But whenever I reached forth my 
trembling hand of faith, and fell the rising of groans and 
sighs that could not be uttered, only in secret breathings 
to him who had in times past entered on board of my 
frail vessel, and preserved it from sinking in the boister- 
ous sea of this body of death and corruption, to which I 
was born heir to — he always in due time said " peace^ 
be still," and a great calm would enable me to say, what 
manner of person is this, that the waves of corruption 
should obey his sacred mandate ? — Thanks be to God who 
did deh'ver me from time to time, and at last enable me 
to become more than conqueror through him that loved 
me, and gave himself for me — even Christ, the /?ota;er and 
the wisdom of God inwardly revealed; who hath ap- 
peared the second time to me, not only without sin, as he 
came the first time, but unto salvation from the tree of 
sin, leading captivity captive within me, and giving me 
the great salvation — perfect redemption fronf the law 
and its curse. Thus he became to me the bright and 
morning star — the author and finisher of ray faith : who 
DO longer speaks in parables, but shows me the Father 
plainly. O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt ? 
His right hand shall yet teach thee terrible things, whilst 
he lays waste the mount of Esau and exalts the mountain 
of his own house above ail the hills of an empty profes- 
sion. It is written, that the Son of God was manifest to 
destroy the devil and his works, and so it will prove to 
all that come to know his perfect manifestation within 
themselves. First, he destroys sin, the works of the 
devil, and secondly, innate corruption — the tree of sin — 
the only kingdom in which Satan lives, and when we are 
not in the deviFs kmgdom, he is not our king, and such 
can say, when the prince of this world cometh, he findeth 
no place in me. No part of the old man can exist with- 
in us, when the new man is fully put on, pnd reigns 
without a rival, Lord of lords, and King of kings, within 
us. Having destroyed the enmity of the flesh against the 
spirit, and of twain making one new man, so making 
peace. Whereby the soul can exclaim, Halleluiah, Hal- 
leluiah, for the Lord God omnipotent reignetb. The 
marriage of the Lamb hath come, the bride (the soul) 



having made herself ready, being clothed with white 
hnen, the righteousness of saints. Make the tree good, 
said Jesns, and the fruit will be good also. I thought 
the tree of my nature was made good years since, but to 
my sorrow I have since found that the evil fruit was 
only then shaken off, and the axe of God's power laid at 
the root of the corrupt tree, and every branch that 
brought forth evil fruit, was to be hewn down, if I resist- 
ed not, and east into the fire of God's consuming love. 
At last, it seemed as though I shoijld be burnt up — for 
soul, body, and spirit, were cast into the fire of redemp- 
tion, wherein I witnessed the fulfilment of the Prophet's 
words, " the day of the Lord cometh that shall burn as an 
oven." in this oven I remained forty-two days; where 
the sons of Levi are purified by fire. Most of the time 
I felt a near sympathy with the dear Master, when he 
spent nights in prayer, for I found no s.Tfety only in the 
deepest watch unto prayer; yet if at any time, I was 
ready to faint, a portion of the wine of the kingdom was 
administered tome. At times, when 1 felt no condemna- 
tion, I was left so destitute of spiritual strength, and Di- 
vine consolation, that it seemed as though both body and 
spirit must sink under the pressure of corruption that 
was upon me, which caused my feelings to exclaim in 
astonishment at times, " my God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me." The cause, 1 did not then fully under- 
stand. I had always taught and believed, that he never 
forsook us, except we firs^ forsook him. But this was 
necessary to crucify the ol(|i man, and teach me to watch 
and pray without ceasing; v.^hen thus engaged, he will 
not suffer us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. 
Thus be taught me my nothingness, and brought me to 
the valley of self abasement. One afternoon his presence 
and glory were wonderfully manifested to my mind,, 
but on retiring to rest, they left me, notwithstanding 
my endeavor to spend the whole evening in silent 
prayer before him ; so great was my desertion, that sleep 
fled from my eyes, and I lay for hours in the deepest 
agony and travail of soul. Though at times the prayer 
ef my soul was, " If it be possible, let this cup pass frona 
me ;" still 1 had to drink of the bitter cup till long past 
the midnight hour, when the word of the Lord came 
with power, "Sleep on, and take your rest." Immediate- 
ly all agony and corifliGt of mind fl^d away, and joy ud- 
A2 



speakable and full of glory took their place, and I fell 
asleep in the arms of gratitude and love. Thus I learnt 
from tin^e to time, as I could bear it, a little what it 
was to drink of the cup of Jesus and be baptized with 
his baptism, whilst nailed upon the cross of self denial, in 
order to crucify self entirely ; that I might be able to say 
with Paul, " I (that is, self,) am crucified." Before this 
he said, " I die daily" — but when any thing is entirely cru- 
cified, it ceases to die. Previous to the death of every 
thing that was selfish in me, it seemed as though I had 
to live with my life 'i& my hand, by faith, from moment to 
moment, as one that is gasping between life and death ; 
but when that which was under sentence of death expir- 
ed, the Lord put forth his hand and satisfied the desires 
of every living thing within me. He that looseth his 
life for my sake and the Gospel, shall find it, said the 
voice of truth, which is yea and amen forever. On the 
eve of the forty-second day of trial and temptation, the 
power of God wrought such a miracle upon me as I 
never witnessed before. Corruption put on incorruption, 
and then came to pass the saying, ''Death is swallowed 
up in victory. O Death, where is thy sting?" Then sin, 
and the law or root of sin, (the strength of sin) was destroy- 
ed by the power of God. To such, the winter is over, 
the rain is past, and the voice of the turtle is heard in 
their promised land, saying come out of Jordan's hum- 
bling valley, which separates every thing that is not 
heir to, and worthy of the promise ; set down the white 
stone with a new name — (for behold all things have 
become new, and all things of God) — that thou hast 
brought from the bottom of Jordan, and say, hitherto the 
Lord hath helped me to enter the promised land; '* by 
his mercy hath he saved us by the washings of regenera- 
tion and the renewals of the Holy Ghost" — to Him be glo- 
ry, and majesty, dominion and power, forever and ever." 
God's invisible power and quickening life descended 
from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, run- 
ning over me like a cold chill, which seemed like purify- 
ing oil, at the same time circulating upon every particle 
of my body, washing away every defiling or corruptible 
thing within; after which I seemed to be full of Divine 
matter, and the spirit within constrained me to break 
forth into such a strain of prayer and thanksgiving, as 
to cause others present to bow before his hallowed power. 



I did not know biit the feelings of complete puriij thai 
then clothed my mind would soon subside ; but as yet, I 
have felt nothing but what confirms me in the belief that 
1 am redeemed from all inbred corruption and placed in 
the Eden of God, having nothing within me that tempts 
me to sin, more than Adam had before hi& fall. Nothing 
can draw me a&ide, until I give way to act according t© 
the evil desires of something without me, as Adam did. 
That innate corruption, which once, almost constantly 
stimulated me to set my affections on either the world, 
the flesh, cr the devil, appears to be destroyed. Hence 
temptation finds nothing in my nature that desires to close 
in with the same j of course there is no strife or struggle 
in withstanding the same, when thus seated under my 
own vine. It is my meat and drink to do the will of Hina 
that sanctified and sent me into the world, to call others 
unto the same happy experience. This is what Paul 
meant by finishing his course, and having a crown of 
righteousness laid up for him. After entering this state, 
the operation of the Spirit of God was more sensible and 
frequently known upon my mind, than ever before ; it 
wonderfully unfolded divine things to my understanding. 
1 found it to be the key of David, and of more conse- 
quence to know its operations than all the wisdom and 
learning of this world — for when it opened something to 
my mind, none could shut it; and when it shut some 
false doctrine or view, that I had had of things, no one 
could open it again. It shall guide you into all truth, 
and bring all things to your memory — said Jesus. U 
brought to my memory his trials and temptations, and 
shewed me that he suffered, leaving us an example that 
we should follow his steps. He was led into the wilder- 
ness to be tempted as I was. Be of good cheer, said 
he, 1 have overcome the world, and if ye had faith in me, 
the works that I do ye would do also. I kept that living 
faith or dependence in God which works by love and 
purifies the heart; till all within was purified and made 
good, and then the fruit was good also. Never before was 
I able to live every day as though it was my last, and say 
at any hour, " O Death, where is thy sting — O Grave, 
where is thy victory? — Rejoice evermore, pray without 
ceasing, and in all things give thanks. No person cara 
rejoice and give thanks in all things, till he knows all he 
says and does io be according to the will of God. This 



8 



a€Ter was the case with me continually, till all th« re* 
beliious part of my nature, like rebelling Israel, perished 
in the wilderness by spiritual famine, by the sword of 
the spirit, and upon the cross of self denial. Then the 
Lord made a way where there appeared to be no way. 
What ailed thee, O thou Jordan of corruption, that thou 
jSed at the presence of Jehovah, and suffered rae to de- 
scend to the very bottom of thy agitated waters, and 
bring up stones of everlasting memorial, and place them 
the other sid'e of thy proud waves — even in the city of 
our God, whose walls are salvation, and whose gates are 
praise. Paul, after speaking of the children of Israel in 
the wilderness, says, '^ these things happened unto them 
for ensamples." Their travel from Egypt to Canaan, is 
s beautiful type of the travel of the soul from a state of 
nature to a state of complete redemption. By nature, I 
found myself in Egypt, serving my own will, which like 
Pharaoh, was a hard task-master, requiring me to make 
brick without furnishing me with straw to burn them — 
exciting me to seek happiness, without furnishing me 
with ability to obtain it. At length Moses, the Spirit of 
God, came, saying "this is not thy rest, for thou wilt ever 
be in bondage here ; follow me, therefore, and I will 
teach thee to serve the Lord, and bring thee to a true 
rest — a land flowing with milk and honey, beyond the- 
reach of all thy enemies — a land that is promised to the 
seed of Abraham, the begotten of God, who hath received 
the kingdom of Heaven, as a grain of mustard seed^ with- 
in the garden of their hearts, though it may appear small 
at first, yet if it be cultivated, it will become the largest 
of ail herbs, or principles in the heart; under which- 
thou mayest rest as thine own vine and fig tree, where 
Done can molest or make thee afraid. In this mountain, 
saith the Lord, 1 will make a feast of fat things, which 
shall be to all people. Let the Universalist amuse him- 
self with the prospect of finding this mountain beyond the 
grave ; yet thanks be to God, I have found it here. With- 
out a present salvation, what evidence have we concern- 
ing a future one. I had faith in Moses, and wished to bid 
Egypt farewell ; but Pharaoh would not let me go. Mo- 
ses saw that my desire was to serve the Lord — ^judgment 
after judgment was poured out upon Pharaoh, but no 
sooner would he promise to let me go, than he would 
>reak the game. At 4ast, Pharaoh's host, evei-y selfish 



fi: 



9 

desire, began to tremble before the God of Israel, upoia 
which Pharaoh said — go serve the Lord, my captive soul, 
lest the Lord destroy all Egypt. But as I marched outot 
the Red Sea of repentance, Pharaoh and his host pursued 
me close : but behold the Lord of hosts was with me, 
and Christ, the spiritual Rock, did follow me; and as I 
east my all upon his everlasting arm of power, the earth 
trembled — the Heavens bowed — whilst the eternal word 
declared, " Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates, and 
let the King of glory enter ! — If any man hear ray voice^ 
and will open the door, I will come in and sup with him 
and he with me." I heard his voice, and opened the 
door of my heart and supped on life Divine. Whilst 
the waves of Heaven overwhelmed Pharaoh and his host, 
beneath my heart, I ascended the banks of praise and 
sang ''the Lord hath triumphed gloriously ; he hath cast 
the horse (of self) and the rider (self will) into the sea, 
and formed Christ within the hope of glory, and inspired 
sacred desires within my breast to journey through the 
wilderness with him; till we should pass Jordan, and be 
gloritied together in the promised land, where I should not 
only be an heir of God, but a joint heir with Jesus, in an 
inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, that liveth 
and fadeth not away. Although Israel were forty-twa 
years in travelling through the wilderness, yet we are 
told that the journey might have been performed in as 
many days, if they had kept their faith in God, and obey- 
ed all his commands through Moses. They sang his 
praises when miraculously delivered from their cruel en- 
emies, but soon forgat his works and became stiff-necked 
and hard hearted in the midst of his bounties. Although 
I was 16 years travelling through the wilderness, I know 
not but what it may be accomplished in as many days. 
Certain I am, that like the Jews, I spent more time in 
wandering to Mount Sinai, to receive and consult about 
an outward law, than would have been sufficient to have 
carried me through, if I had kept my eye single to 
Christ, the true light and law within, which to the single 
eye, grows brighter and brighter to the perfect day. — 
Short might the journey be, if the eye of the mind was 
kept single to this true light or word of faith, after its 
revealing power iS known to be nigh in the mouth and 
the heart, and strict obedience yielded to its dictates ;, 
for every thing else is a " lo here, or a lo there," bu.t 



iO 

this Christ within, the wisdoju and the power of GoJ, 
though to the self-wise Greek it be foolishness, and to 
the selfrighteous Jew, a stumbling block. 

That which nriakes man accountable, is a faculty to dis- 
tinguish between good and evil, and the power of choice 
to pursue which we please. Christ, the true light, is 
universal ; operating upon this faculty in the breast of 
every one, the world over the same. If people do not 
come to an equal degree of perception of right and 
wrong, it is because they do not pay an equal attention to 
the secret operations of this light upon their rational souls. 
And if they are nat equally redeemed by the same, it is 
because they have not equally exerted their power of 
choice to pursue the good and deny the evil. "^My ways 
are equal, but yosr ways are unequal, salth the Lord." 
Every person that has not pursued the good and refused 
the evil thus manifested, stands with a guilty conscience 
before his God. This is the condemnation of the world, 
that light is come into the world, and men love darkness 
rather than light, because their deeds are evil. — O my 
God, seal this to the soul of him that reads or hears. — The 
power of choice I call the will, which renders man a 
moral free agent. Hence he cannot exist without a will, 
for this would destroy his moral agency, and consequently 
his accountability. He may by the grace of God, so 
overcome every thing that excites him to act in opposi- 
tion to the Divine will, as to know his will, to lie dor- 
mant, and in all things say, *' not my will but thine be 
done." This can only take place where victory is ob- 
tained over every innate corruption,, and our faith made 
periect in God, by knowing from experience that he will 
manifest his will in all things needful for us to move in, 
when we entirely cease to move and act m our own wills. 
It is the meat and drink of such to do the will of God at 
all times, and in all things; they worship the Lord God, 
and Him only do they serve. In such the human will 
rules no more ; yet in truth, we cannot say that it exists 
no more, for this would destroy the identity of man, and 
there could be no virtue in his obedience then, as it 
would be impossible for him to be otherwise. Whilst 
in the wilderness, like Israel, I found that its soil produc- 
ed no food, nor springs of water. Hence the promised 
seed would perish and not inherit Canaan unless support- 
ed by God in a supernatural way. He never failed te 



11 

mjpply me with food, when I loved him supremely, and 
was called according to his purpose — so devoted to him, 
as to know the purpose of his will, whether it was to be 
moving forward in something, or to be silent in my tent. 
If an accursed thing was in my tent, I could not move 
forwards, till the lighted candle of God's spirit found it, 
and I suffered it to be brought without the camp, and 
stoned to death by the power of God. More than once 
the wedge of gold (the love of the world) and the Baby- 
lonish garb (the pride of life) caused me to die with fam- 
ine, for the Lord ceased to feed me as I refused to give them 
up, and upon the hot sand of a guilty conscience my Diviae 
life soon expired. After this, the call was, "Awake thou 
that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will 
give thee life again." When I resolved by the help of 
God to obey the call, I found nothing within me but dry 
bones in the valley of misery. But as I called upon the 
Lord for assistance, he caused a mighty shaking among 
the bones, and the winds of Heaven blew upon them, 
bone came to its bone, and soon possessed flesh and sinews, 
so as to journey forwards again towards the promised 
land. God will not support the soul after commanding 
it to pitch a new tent, by denying some evil propensity, 
or doing a new duty, unless it be obedient — the soul that 
sins shall die. May the winda of Heaven yet cause a 
mighty shaking of the dry bones scattered through the 
wilderness of Christendom, that the dead may be raised 
to newness of life, and march forward, to meet a happy 
few on the borders of Canaan, that they may be able to 
send back good tidings to their unbelieving brethren, who 
do not believe that Canaan can be entered in this world ; 
that the giants fled, the walls of Jericho fell, and that 
they hav^e found their heart's desire ; a land, flowing with 
milk and honey, houses that they had not built, and grapes 
that they had not planted. And all they have to do is to 
obey the voice of God from day to day, without any fear 
or anxiety about the event, they being dead to all selfish- 
ness, (heir life is hid with Christ in God — tliey no longer 
live, but Christ liveth in them — no guile is found 
in their mouth, for they are without fault before the 
throne of God. But if they j^gain commence acting in 
their own will, they would shot-tly find themselves out ol 
Canaan, sitting by the cold streams of Babylon, unable to 
sing a song of Zion, with their harps hanging upon the 



U.^^.^^-'^^^^^.'Ul^'^-.f^.- 



IS 



3 



wi?lows; weeping wlien they remember Zion, the happy 
state they left. May such let their tongue cleave to the 
roof of their mouth, and their right hand of human wis- 
dom forget her cunning, and turn their faces toivards the 
holy Zion and remember the Lord God that brought 
them out of Egypt that he might turn away their captivity. 

Persuaded I am, that the Divine life will soon vanish, 
even after coming to this state, uoless a watch to receive 
and know good at the Divine hand is maintained. Though 
we may be redeemed from watching or thinking about 
evil, yet not from watching to know and do the Divine 
will. '' The soul that hath been sanctified, (said T. \\ or- 
rall,) can no longer remain healthy and sound in the 
truth, than while it is breathing the breath of heaven — 
feeding on Divine love ; for if the imagination reign, the 
soul sickens — for that which feeds the vain spirit of the 
mind, that runneth to and fro in the earth, destroyeth the 
life of God in the soul of man. Therefore, watchful- 
ness becometh continually needful in order for preser- 
vation — and blessed is that man, who keepeth up a con- 
stant and diligent watch, no matter what his attainment 
in the truth may be; for if this be intermeddled, there 
is an entrance given to fears, alarms and weaknesses. 
Neither are they gotten forth again without labour. 
Surely it is commendable and safe, to depend on the 
mere mercy and goodness of God from hour to hour, and 
still strive to please him more and more, for he is wor- 
thy of all — And oh! the meekness, gentleness, and little- 
ness of a devoted, redeemed child of God. What a con- 
stant fear pervades the whole frame — a pure filial fear 
of displeasing or offending so good, so gracious and be- 
nevolent a parent, joined to the purest love" — a love 
that gives the purest joy that mortals ever knew. 

And here I close, ascribing praise and thanksgiving to 
that power, whose benign influence upon my mind has 
enabled me not only to see but feel the beauty — the 
vitality — the spirituality — and the blessedness of the 
Christian Religion] which alone is worthy the serious 
pursuit of the children of men. 

A PILGRIM STRANGER. 

Sth mo. 1825. 



[No. 26. 

Sittf no Zriftt^ 



What a strange world is this in which we Use ! The 
Prince of Ight and the prince of darkness — good men and 
bad men — holiness and sin — all are made objects of sport 
and ridicule However, it is dangerous folly to jest with 
serious things ; and Solomon teaches that they are " fools" 
who " make a mock at sin," Prov. xiv. 9. Here, we see 
children doing mischief^ and th*en laughing at it, in which 
alas! they are often 'encouraged by ungodly parents: 
there^ the drunkard boasts of his excesses, the debauchee, 
of the number of his victims; and the gamester of the 
fruits of his art and deceit. Thus many, at every period 
of life, glory in their shame. 

Wicked men triumph, when they see blemishes in the 
character of the righteous. What manner of persons 
ought Christians then to be in all holy conversation and 
godliness, that they may cut off the pleas of gainsayers, 
and put to silence. the ignorance of foolish men. 

Friendly reader, art thou tempted to countenance, by a 
laugh, or a smile, or in any other way, what* thou canst 
not inwardly approve ? We entreat thee to weigh well 
the followjjDg considerations : 

1. He, who laughs at sin, laughs while God frowns. 
"God is angry with the wicked every day." PsaL^-vii 11. 
What is it that excites his anger? What is that by whicb 
his spirit is vexed and grieved ? What is that which oc- 
casions the sword of vengeance'to hang over the heads 
of sinners ? " The wrath of God is revealed from h'feaven . 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Rom. 
i. 1 8. And if the wrath of a king be as the roaring of a li- 
on, how dreadful, must be the wrath of the Almighty God] 

2. He, who makes light of sin, makes light of the mise- 
ries of all mankind. We live in a vale of tears, in which 
prisons and hospitals and innumerable other receptacles of 
wo, impress the solemn truth, that the misery of man is 
great upon him. Eccl. viii^ 6. 





[290 



-■^': 



SlxV, NO TRIFLE. 

Ah ! little think the gay licentious proud, 

Whom pleasure, power, and affluence surround. 

They, who their thoughtless hours in giddy mirth, 

And wanton, often cruel, riot waste ; 

Ah, little think they while they dance along. 

How many feel, this very moment death. 

And all the sad variety of pain ! 

TJBOJUSOJf. 

3. To sport with sin is to sport with death. For sin en- 
tered the world, and death followed sin. Rom. v. 12. And 
death has "made this worW like Golgotha, a place of sculls 
— not a fit place then for profane merriment. If all the 
hones of al! the dead were collected into one vast pile, and 
Jehu should ask, '^ Who slew all these ?" (2 Kings x. 9.) 
the answer must be, •' sin slew them all," 

Death stands between eternity and time 
With open jaws — ou such a narrow bridge 
That none can pass, but must become his prey. 

4. For a man to laugh at sin, is to laugh when he ought 
to mourn. Will any one make sport with his own disease ? 
Sin is a disease. It is poisonous — it is fatal foo, unless the 
Balm of Gilead (the blood of Christ) be applied in time. 
Sin produces guilt and shame. When a man laughs at 
his sin, he laughs at the fraud by which he has cheated 
himself. His conduct is not less absurd than wicked. It 
is the folly of a fool laughmg at his own folly. 

5. To make light of sin, is to make light of the pains 
of hell. For sin opened the bottomless pit. Sin is the 
parent of the worm that dieth not. Sin kindled the dame 
which shall never be quenched. Sin leads to the place of 
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. 

O careless, thoughtless sinner ! Is it a light thing to fall 
into the hands of the living God — to feel the weight of his 
curse — to dwell with everlasting burnings? Canst thou 
expect to enjoy sinful mirth with jovial companions in hell, 
from whence the smoke of their torment ascendefh up for- 
ever and ever ? Consider this, ye that forget God, lest he 
tear you in pieces, and there be none to dehver. Consider 
this before the great day of his wrath is come. Think on 



w^ 




291] SIN, NO TRIPLE. 3 

your ways, and turn your feet to his testimonies. In those 
testimonies you will find a Saviour revealed. His 
name is Jesus. Behold, now is the accepted time, be- 
hold, now is the day of salvation. Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. 

6. To sport with sin is to sport with the sorrows of Je- 
sus. And this, considering the dignity of the person of 
Christ, is the most solemn and awful consideration that can 
be suggested. It were less guilty to sport with fellow- 
creatures than with the Son of God. Never did any per- 
son suffer so much from contempt as Jesus didt He was 
blindfolded and buffetted, and in the grossest manner insult- 
ed by the rabble in the high priest's hall. '^ Then did they 
spit in his face." Matt. xxvi. 67. Herod and his men of 
war set Jesus at nought. In mockery he was invested 
with a purple robe. A reed was put into his hand for a 
sceptre, to ridicule his pretensions to a kingdom. And 
when he was lifted upon the cross, (O horrid to relate) they 
mocked the pangs in which he died. Passing strangers 
wagged their heads, and said, "• if thou be the Son of God, 
come down from the cross." The chief priests, scribes, 
and elders said with bitter sarcasm, " He saved others — 
himself he cannot save." And even the thieves, who were 
crutified with him, cast the same in his teeth. 

And can you, O wanton sinner, join your voice to theirs, 
to insult him ; can you trifle with Jesus, and make light of 
his prayers, his tears, and groans,"and bloody sweat in the 
garden of agony, the severity of the scourge, and the tor- 
ture of the crown of thorns ? O be persuaded to trace his 
footsteps to Calvary. There stand and gaze, pause and 
ponder. If at such a place, with such a scene, you can 
trifle, what would angels think ? " More struck with grief, 
or wonder, who can tell?" 

Around the bloody tree they press'd with strong desire. 
That wond'rous sight to see, the Lord of life expire ! 
And could their eyes have known a tear. 
In sad surprise had dropt it there. Doddridge, 

Now, therefore, be ye not mockers, lest your bands be 
made strong. Isa. xxviii. 22. If God give you repentance 



4 SIN, NO TRIFLE. [292 

tinto life, you will mourn for Christ as one mourneth for 
an only son, and be in bitterness as one that is in bitterness 
for the loss of his first born. 

Let our readers, such especially as are young", be per- 
suaded to commit to memory the following lines, which ex- 
press in an agreeable manner, the substance of the pre- 
ceding remarks, and which by the blessing of God, will 
well repay the trouble it may cost them : 

Who laughs at sin, laughs at his Maker's frowns. 
Laughs at the sword of vengeance o'er his head ; 

Laughs at the great Redeemer's tears and wounds, 
Who, but for sin, had never wept or bled. 

Who laughs at sin, laughs at the num'rous woes 
Which hare this guilty world so oft befel ; 

Laughs at the whole creation's groans and throes, 
At all the spoils of death, and pains of hell. 



Who laughs at sin, laughs at his own disease. 
Welcomes approaching torments with his smiles, 

Dares at his soul's expense his fancy please. 
Affronts his God — himself of bliss beguiles. 

Who laughs at sin, sports with his guilt and shame. 
Laughs at the errors of his senseless mind ; 

For so absurd a fool there wants a name, 
Ibtpressive of a folly 'so refin'd. 

Jos. Stennet. 



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